Yellowstone Center for Resources
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YELLOWSTONE CENTER FOR RESOURCES IAL Ana SPAT lysis s e N c SOURC r RE E A u T o U s e R R A L L R A e R s o U u T r L c e U s C I nformation R ES rt EARCH Suppo ANNUAL2002 REPORT FISCAL YEAR YELLOWSTONE CENTER FOR RESOURCES 2002 ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR (OCTOBER 1, 2001, TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2002) Yellowstone Center for Resources National Park Service Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming YCR–AR–2002 2003 Suggested citation: Yellowstone Center for Resources. 2003. Yellowstone Center for Resources Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2002. National Park Service, Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, YCR–AR–2002. Photographs not otherwise marked are courtesy of the National Park Service. Front cover: clockwise from top right, a possible McKean component precontact site; J.E. Stuart’s “Old Faithful” oil painting; elk and a Druid pack wolf by Monty Sloan; Eastern Shoshone dancer by Sandra Nykerk; and center, peregrine falcon fledgling by Wayne Wolfersberger. Title page: wolf #113, alpha male of the Agate Creek pack, attacking a cow elk. Photo by anonymous donor. Back cover: Yellowstone cutthroat trout. ii Contents Introduction..........................................................................................................iv Part I. Resource Highlights ...............................................................................1 Part II. Cultural Resource Programs ................................................................7 Archeology.......................................................................................................8 Ethnography ...................................................................................................13 History............................................................................................................19 Museum, Library, and Archives.....................................................................26 Part III. Natural Resource Programs ..............................................................35 Air, Land, and Water......................................................................................35 Aquatics Section.............................................................................................36 Geology and Geothermal Resources..............................................................41 Vegetation.......................................................................................................46 Wildlife Resources .........................................................................................49 Bears........................................................................................................49 Birds ........................................................................................................52 Bison........................................................................................................56 Elk and Other Ungulates .........................................................................63 Lynx.........................................................................................................66 Wildlife Management and Monitoring....................................................67 Wolves .....................................................................................................67 Part IV. Professional Support Programs.........................................................73 Spatial Analysis Center..................................................................................73 Resource Information and Publications .........................................................76 Research Permitting and Support...................................................................78 NPS Servicewide Benefits-Sharing Environmental Impact Statement..........78 Funding, Personnel, and Administrative Support ..........................................79 Appendix I. Personnel Roster for 2002............................................................83 Appendix II. Publications, Reports, and Papers ............................................87 Appendix III. Partnerships...............................................................................89 iii Introduction For 2002, the Yellowstone Center for Resources (YCR) annual report has changed from a calendar year to a fiscal year (October 1, 2001, to September 30, 2002) report. Some informa- tion in the 2001 report may therefore be recorded here as well. Please forgive the overlap as we make this transition. National Park Service funding appropriated by Congress is provided by fis- cal year, and many of our projects are funded by competitive grants, all of which require fiscal year tracking of expenditures, personnel, and accomplishments, as well as annual reports. Fiscal year accomplishment reports are also required by the superintendent, and the regional and cen- tral offices. We hope this change will allow YCR staff to more easily, accurately, and efficiently report on projects for which money has been allocated by fiscal year (FY). Highlights of FY02 include the celebration of the tenth year of the YCR’s quarterly journal, Yellowstone Science, which publishes articles on many aspects of Yellowstone’s natural and cul- tural resources. Its circulation has grown to nearly 2,500 individuals and institutions across the United States and around the world. The Research Permit Office authorized 278 research per- mits to investigators who came from almost every state in the Union as well as six foreign coun- tries. The first-ever servicewide EIS was drafted in FY02 for release in 2003. It evaluates how best to manage benefits-sharing arrangements with the small number of park-permitted researchers who are characterized as bioprospectors. A volunteer fly-fishing program was established to use catch-and-release angling as a capture technique to gather biological information on fish populations throughout the park. The paleon- tology program continued to grow, with several important surveys completed in 2002. In an unusual show, Steamboat Geyser erupted twice. Grizzly bear recovery parameters were met again in 2002, and have now been achieved every year since 1998. Wolves also met the mini- mum population size as outlined in the recovery plan for the third successive year, but delisting cannot proceed until approved state management plans are in place. The North Entrance Road and the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District were listed on the National Register in FY02 after several years of effort. A long-awaited ethnographical report, American Indians and Yellowstone National Park: A Documentary Overview, by Peter Nabokov and Lawrence Loendorf was published in FY02. The remainder of the Susan and Jack Davis Collection, consisting of approximately 10,000 postcards, was acquired by the park, and the Davis Collection will move into the new Heritage and Research Center in 2004 for all to enjoy. We hope this report continues to assist us in attaining the goals of the YCR, which are to pro- vide outreach, contribute to literature, promote interpretation, and most of all, strive to learn more about the resources we are mandated to manage and protect. For more information about specific topics of interest, readers may contact us at (307) 344-2203 or visit the park’s web site at www.nps.gov/yell. For some projects, additional information may be available in technical publications or special reports (see Appendix II). John D. Varley Director, Yellowstone Center for Resources iv An elk herd moves in response to pressure from the Leopold pack. Part I. Resource Highlights WOLF–CARNIVORE INTERACTION STUDIES The reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park (YNP) has provided an opportunity to examine interactions among a full suite of carnivores and their prey. Preliminary evidence from concurrent field studies focusing on the park’s large carnivores (wolves, cougars, grizzly bears, and black bears) already suggest that these interactions have significant effects on carnivore community structure, population dynam- ics, and prey population impacts. Collaboration between YCR wildlife teams (Bear Management, Ungulate Project, Bison Ecology and Management) and interagency (Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team; Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks) researchers has already been productive in pursuing science-based questions on multi-carnivore relationships. The use of new technologies such as GPS telemetry collars will advance our ability to understand the carnivore community and its interactions, as well as their impact on prey popula- tions. In fall 2002, a manuscript was submitted to a peer-reviewed scientific journal describing the activities of humans and carnivores on YNP’s northern boundary prior to, and during, the fall elk hunting season. The study monitored the movements of grizzly bears, wolves, and cougars in a 2,391-km2 study area centered on YNP’s northern range and the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. Grizzly bears were more likely to be located inside the YNP boundary during the pre-hunt period and north of the boundary once hunting began. Cougars tended to be found outside the park during the pre-hunt period and moved inside the park when hunting began. Wolves did not significantly change their movement patterns during the pre-hunt and hunting periods. Qualitative information on elk indicated that prey moved into the park after hunting began, suggesting cougars followed living prey, bears focused on dead prey (gut piles and crippled elk), and wolves may have taken advantage of both. 2 Resource Highlights In addition, project staff are documenting VOLUNTEER