Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 5-2010 Cougar Resource Selection in Two Mountain Ranges in Utah: A Study on Scale and Behavior Wendy R. Rieth Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the Animal Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Rieth, Wendy R., "Cougar Resource Selection in Two Mountain Ranges in Utah: A Study on Scale and Behavior" (2010). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 698. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/698 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COUGAR RESOURCE SELECTION IN TWO MOUNTAIN RANGES IN UTAH: A STUDY ON SCALE AND BEHAVIOR by Wendy R. Rieth A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Wildlife Biology Approved: __________________________ _________________________ R. Douglas Ramsey Thomas C. Edwards, Jr. Major Professor Committee Member __________________________ _________________________ Michael L. Wolfe Byron R. Burnham Committee Member Dean of Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2010 UMI Number: 1479292 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI 1479292 Copyright 2010 by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This edition of the work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346 ii Copyright © Wendy R. Rieth 2010 All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Cougar Resource Selection in Two Mountain Ranges in North-Central Utah: A Study of Scale and Behavior by Wendy R. Rieth, Master of Science Utah State University, 2010 Major Professor: Dr. R. Douglas Ramsey Department: Wildlife Resources An understanding of habitat relationships is essential for managing hunted species, such as cougar, that are difficult to census. In the first phase of this study, I used aerial telemetry data to examine diurnal cougar resource selection at 2 scales, and compared results between 2 study sites, the Oquirrh Mountains and Monroe Mountain, Utah. In the second phase of this study, I used conditional logistic regression models and GPS collar data from the Oquirrh Mountains to determine whether cougar resource selection varied over 3 behaviors (prey caching, resting at a daybed site, and nocturnal activities) and 2 scales. Results from phase 1 indicated that in general, during diurnal hours cougars selected for woodland cover types, moderate to steep (20-70%) slopes, canyon and steep hillside landforms, and home ranges with a higher density of edge. However, selection for these resources was not consistent at both study sites, scales, or for every cougar. iv Small sample sizes and poor spatial accuracy of the aerial telemetry data likely precluded the ability to detect selection in every case. Results from phase 2 indicated that cougar resource selection varied by behavior, and selection of some resources was detected only at certain scales. Cougar cache sites were characterized by southern and eastern aspects; lower elevation; avoidance of edge; a greater diversity of land cover types; canyon landforms (ridges were avoided); riparian, deciduous, and coniferous woodland; and deciduous and coniferous forest cover types. Cougars selected daybed sites that avoided western aspects and edges, were further from roads, closer to streams, higher in elevation, on moderate to steep slopes, and in rocky, deciduous woodland, and riparian cover types. During nocturnal activities, cougars avoided northern aspects, and selected areas that were closer to streams and roads, on edges and in canyon landforms, with gentler slopes, and rock, riparian, and deciduous woodland cover types. Results from cross-validation procedures confirmed that the models were reliable and predictive of cougar resource selection. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of cougar resource selection over various scales and behaviors. Managers should use caution when using diurnal data to make conclusions about selection during other times of day or behaviors. (286 pages) v Dedicated to T. and C., whom I lost before the end. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. R. D. Ramsey, for the opportunity to conduct graduate research and work on projects in the RS/GIS Lab. I especially appreciated his sense of humor, flexibility, and foremost, his patience in seeing me through to the end. I also thank the professors that served on my committee: Dr. T. C. Edwards, Jr., for statistical and design advice, and for quickly clarifying my thinking when I needed it most; and Dr. M. L. Wolfe, for graciously allowing me to be involved in the cougar project, for his interest in my research, and for encouraging me to finish. I am indebted to S. Durham for the significant number of hours spent helping me with SAS programming (especially that crazy cross-validation code) and interpretation, and for always being able to answer my statistical questions. I could not have completed the analyses without her assistance. Thank you also to J. Lowry for providing the computers and software I needed, and for the annual lab river trips. I owe a large amount of chocolate to C. Garrard for her VB code and Access advice. Thank you to my cohort of students in the RS/GIS Lab for keeping me sane, and making graduate school more fulfilling, especially L. Langs Stoner, K. Taylor, C. McGinty, E. Sant, and K. Brady. A graduate research assistantship through the U.S. Geological Survey provided funding for me to work on the Southwest Regional GAP project while completing my degree. The following companies and agencies provided financial support for acquisition of the cougar radio-telemetry data that were used in my research: Kennecott Utah Copper vii Corporation, U.S. Forest Service, Utah Army National Guard Training Facility at Camp Williams, and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. This project would not have been possible without the generosity of my colleague and friend D. Stoner, in sharing his hard-earned data. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to conduct research on cougars, to observe cougar habitat from the ground and from the air, and the many conversations on thinking like a cat. I am grateful for his interest and enthusiasm from beginning to end of this project, and for being the only other person that was as interested in the data as I was. I thank Dr. Mel Sunquist at the University of Florida for his undergraduate class in introductory wildlife biology. He likely doesn’t remember me, but his lecture on his tiger research inspired me to pursue a career in wildlife biology. I thank my parents, Stephen and Beverly Robinson, for their love and support, for my education, teaching me to always strive for excellence, and reminding me that I am not a quitter. My career choice was influenced by their exposing me to many a PBS nature show, growing up with forests and swamps nearby as my playground, and summers spent in the Great Smoky Mountains identifying wildflowers. I also thank my sister, Kristi Hess, for sharing her wisdom from her graduate school experience and for being an amazing role model to her little sister. Finally, I am grateful to my husband, Dr. Loren W. Rieth, for always believing in me, for providing a steady shoulder for me to lean on, and for his endless support in viii myriad other ways. I especially appreciated an engineer’s perspective on cougar ecology. I couldn’t have done it without you. Wendy R. Rieth ix CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................ xii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xvi LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................ xix INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................... 5 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................... 7 Cougar Habitat................................................................................................................ 7 Prey ............................................................................................................................. 8 Vegetation................................................................................................................. 10 Topography............................................................................................................... 15 Landscape Patterns...................................................................................................