Proceedings of the Ninth Mountain Lion Workshop - Carnivore ...

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Ecology of a Re-established Cougar Population in Southeastern Alberta and Southwestern Saskatchewan Michelle M. Bacon, Department of Biological Sciences, CW-405 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada, mmbacon@ualberta.ca Mark S. Boyce, Department of Biological Sciences, CW-405 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada, Boyce@ualberta.ca ABSTRACT Cougars (Puma concolor) were distributed throughout Alberta historically, but in the early 1900s, likely due to predator control and agricultural expansion, became limited to the southwest region of the province. Not until the late 1990s had cougars begun re-populating their eastern Alberta range, and have now crossed over the Saskatchewan border through Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, an oasis of forest surrounded by prairie. Formerly carnivore-free, the park supports numerous mammals including an abundant ungulate population, which, prior to the return of cougars, was controlled only by a yearly elk hunt. The expansion of cougars’ eastern range means that management and conservation strategies are needed to protect the human, livestock, and wildlife interests of the area. This research project is designed to determine the habitat and prey selection of the newly re-established cougar population in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. The objectives are to: 1) determine the composition and distribution of the population of cougars in this region, 2) evaluate the seasonal and human effects on movement and range of the cougars, and 3) determine the composition of prey-including livestock killed by cougars in this region. We will use GPS radio collars to track movement and investigate kill sites. Digital remote cameras and historical aerial survey data will help us assess prey abundance and distribution. We will create habitat models using GPS telemetry data to demonstrate the relative probability of use by cougars of the Cypress Hills landscape. There are currently no management guidelines for cougars in eastern Alberta or Saskatchewan, and as the current laws allow private landowners to kill cougars on their property, it is important to quantify the population of the region so that managers can make informed decisions. Evaluating this isolated population also will help gain an understanding of factors that contribute to the restoration of a large carnivore, and will provide insight into potential expansions of cougars into more eastern parts of North America. Proceedings of the Ninth Mountain Lion Workshop 244
Generating an Index of Relative Abundance for Cougars Throughout the Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Area Using Winter Tracking Methods Travis Bartnick, Craighead Beringia South, P.O. Box 147, Kelly, WY 83011, USA, travisdbartnick@yahoo.com Dan McCarthy, Craighead Beringia South, P.O. Box 147, Kelly, WY 83011, USA, danmccarthy26@yahoo.com Marilyn Cuthill, Craighead Beringia South, P.O. Box 147, Kelly, WY 83011, USA, chambley56@hotmail.com Drew Reed, Craighead Beringia South, P.O. Box 147, Kelly, WY 83011, USA, drew@bswy.us Howard Quigley, Craighead Beringia South, P.O. Box 147, Kelly, WY 83011, USA, hquigley@attglobal.net Derek Craighead, Craighead Beringia South, P.O. Box 147, Kelly, WY 83011, USA, Derek@bswy.us ABSTRACT Although traditional techniques of field naturalists are sometimes overshadowed by newer and more technology-intensive methods, slight adaptations in these traditional techniques often can meet the demands of modern wildlife science (Beauvais and Buskirk 1999). Track monitoring on a snow substrate may be a useful method, especially for monitoring rare and wide-ranging mammalian species in northern latitudes where adequate snow conditions may persist for several months of the year. Species found in these areas are generally very difficult to survey with any statistical validity at any other time of the year due to rugged terrain, inconsistent tracking medium, and the ability of many species to traverse through the habitat without leaving easily detectible sign. Species are readily identified by characteristics of tracks (single footprints) and trails (sequences of tracks made by single animals) (Murie 1974). Snow preserves a relatively continuous record of animal movements between successive snowfalls (Beauvais and Buskirk 1999). Furthermore, snow tracking surveys have been used to generate indices of relative abundance for rare or wide-ranging species such as cougars. Managers and researchers have often found it difficult to monitor changes in cougar populations because cougars are largely nocturnal, secretive, and occur at low densities (Beier and Cunningham 1996). The Rocky Mountain region of the western United States and Canada is especially difficult for researchers to successfully conduct reliable surveys of cougar populations. The vast, rugged terrain and expansive, unbroken wilderness found throughout the region make accurate survey results nearly impossible without the allocation of large amounts of time, money, and effort. To monitor cougar populations at the lowest cost, managers have used collaborative data from hunter harvest, depredation rates, and track surveys (Beier and Cunningham 1996). Recent studies have tested the use of remote camera stations (Kelly et al. 2008). Confirmed sightings by the public have also been included in assessing cougar abundance. Proceedings of the Ninth Mountain Lion Workshop 245
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Proceedings of the Ninth Mountain L
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IN REMEMBRANCE There are giants who
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Distinguished Service Awards Mauric
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North Dakota Dorothy Fescke .......
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Evaluation of noninvasive genetic s
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Survival and ages of cougars harves
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Preface Chronology of Mountain Lion
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9 th Mtn. Lion Workshop Agenda Coug
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10:35-10:55 Estimating lion populat
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Movements of a female cougar on the
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State and Province Mountain Lion St
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160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Lions
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somewhat stable, though overall abu
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Idaho Cougar Ages 2002 2003 2004 20
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and that occurred in 1999 to a 13-y
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the approximately 15 other bills in
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for Project CAT; his primary focus
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Oregon Mountain Lion Status Report
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cougar seasons are 10 months long (
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Population Status and Trend Status
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California Mountain Lion Status Rep
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Number (i) The permit does not inva
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The steps in responding to a public
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during the attack, objects chewed o
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Montana Mountain Lion Status Report
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Red Desert basin. Mixed conifer and
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Table 1. Wyoming mountain lion mana
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(Fig. 4). Approximately 90% of all
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- Use of rubber bullets - Use of pe
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Literature Cited Anderson, C.R., JR
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Genetic Monitoring A recent study b
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Literature Cited Anderson, C. R., F
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Mule deer and bighorn sheep hunting
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In 1981, the Harvest Objective hunt
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more than 10% of Nevada’s 286,298
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Future Research The Department is c
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Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW
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Figure 1. Wildlife Management Units
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Figure 2. Cougar habitat in Utah. A
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Table 1. Utah cougar harvests, 1989
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while encouraging some hunter selec
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State’s management objectives (ma
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Stoner, D. C., W. Reith, M.L. Wolfe
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Figure 1. Colorado mountain lion Da
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Percent Q. Achievement & Success 65
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in which we request voluntary reduc
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Figure 6 is preliminary information
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humans, predation on pets, hobby st
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Arizona Mountain Lion Status Report
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Hunt Regulations Since the 8 th Mou
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The AZGFD supports the Cooperative
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South Dakota Mountain Lion Status R
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National Park [TRNP], Three Affilia
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Mountain lion carcasses were weighe
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Figure 2. Verified mountain lion lo
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In 2007, eleven mountain lions (n =
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increases or expansion. The overall
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Florida Mountain Lion Status Report
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interactions. Six categories of int
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cases (a large breed dog, miniature
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Interactions with Humans at the Urb
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Demographic and Landscape Influence
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Challenges and Opportunities Facing
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Caloosahatchee River will be depend
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Prospects for Mountain Lion Persist
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Habitat Use and Movements Proceedin
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Daily Movement Distances of Florida
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Refining the Use of GPS Telemetry C
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ural areas (hereafter, developed zo
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owned, of which over 50% were zoned
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Garmin ® (Garmin Ltd.) GPS units.
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the steplength and turnangle distri
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Table 1. Collar performance, time m
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depredation on goats newly introduc
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Paths derived from puma movement pa
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Table 6 and Fig. 3 display the perc
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even mortality from a heavily explo
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parcels) and non-preferred habitat
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CDFG 2000. California Department of
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Stralberg, D. and B. Williams. 2002
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Multi-Carnivore and Prey Interactio
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subadults, and kittens, the study p
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Cougar Home Range Shifts and Appare
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iomass, or directly when cougars ar
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Mountain Lion Movement Patterns in
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Genetics and Disease Proceedings of
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and CO2 rifles and biopsy darts (bo
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Estimation of the Bottleneck Size i
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A Preliminary Retrospective on the
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Population Estimation and Dynamics
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Dynamics and Demography of a Centra
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The Idaho Backcountry: Is it Still
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Study Areas and Methods We selected
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We calculated the proportion of res
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Warren Adult Female Sub Female Sub
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Harvest Rate Change Four long-term
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had increased to over 25% of the co
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editor. Proceedings of the Third Mo
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Censusing Pumas by Categorizing Phy
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Education and Social Issues Proceed
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The Land of the Living Dead Comes A
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Science and Education Working Toget
Page 205 and 206: Her dad was a cougar hunter, so Eve
Page 207 and 208: The Gray Whales’ Migration Journe
Page 209 and 210: 11) How do we manage real-time GPS
Page 211 and 212: harvest is not allowed. This reflec
Page 213 and 214: Key Concepts: Mountain Lion Managem
Page 215 and 216: Dispersal Movements of Subadult Cou
Page 217 and 218: Cougar Management Protocols: a Surv
Page 219 and 220: Response percent Response percent 1
Page 221 and 222: Table 2. Cougar population status b
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Page 227 and 228: Throughout the US and Canada, appro
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Page 231 and 232: Table 8. Agency responses to what c
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Page 237 and 238: In terms of education and outreach
Page 239 and 240: Population Status A vital prerequis
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Page 243 and 244: Literature Cited Anderson, C. R., a
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Page 251 and 252: Cougars are not relocated when invo
Page 253 and 254: Other (explain) 45) What approaches
Page 255: Poster Session Proceedings of the N
Page 259 and 260: Movements of a Female Cougar on the
Page 261 and 262: Survival and Ages of Cougars Harves
Page 263 and 264: Intra-specific Variation in Cougar
Page 265 and 266: Cougars in British Columbia: Conser
Page 267 and 268: Cougar-Induced Vigilance in Ungulat
Page 269 and 270: List of Participants First Name Las
Page 271 and 272: First Name Last Name Affiliation Ci
Page 273: First Name Last Name Affiliation Ci
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