Yellowstone's Northern Range - Greater Yellowstone Science ...

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THE NORTHERN RANGE Figure 7.13. NumelVus scavengers quickly consume the carcasses of elk and other ungulates on the northern range. NPSphoto. Figure 7.14. Yellowstone grizzly bears are adaptable omnivores, adjusting to the varying supplies of preferred foods. Scat analysis has shown that in years of poor whitehark pine lIut crops, hears compensated by increasing their consumption of ungulates. The northern Yellowstone elk herd is an important component of the diet of the threatened grizzly bem: Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team. 100 98 ecological and ungulate management issue has entered an imp0l1ant new phase (Phillips and Smith 1996, Schullery 1996). This addition to the suite of predator/ scavengers (grizzly and bl,ack bears, mountain lions, wolverines, coyotes, faxes, plus numerous bird species) is significant (Figure 7.15). Several writers have pointed out the incompleteness of the natural regulation experiment as long as the full complement of native mammalian predators UNG =0.518 +0.065 YR- 0.0165 PIAL r' was not in place (Peek 1980, =0.99 R Houston 1982, Mech 1991). The arrival of the wolf is Ungulates perhaps the single most important event in the evolution of northern range manage , , , " ,, , ment since the 1967 Senate , ,, , hearings that led to the ,, , cessation of traditional elk, Q""""" , Whitcbark Pine Nuts bison, and pronghorn control. ,, , "'~--------Q.. ...---........."9 Prior to wolf reintroduction, North American wolf YEAR experts, while expressing a majority opinion about the probable effects of Yellowstone °7~7-------7LI8-------7~~-------8~~~----~8~1------~8L2------~83 Recent calculations by Singer et al. (1997) suggest each grizzly bear within the calving range of the northern elk herd kills and consumes, on the average, about 15 elk calves per year. Of course, this rate would vary from bear to bear since some animals specialize more in the hunting of elk calves than others, and the rate would also vary from year to year (Singer et al. 1997). Based on close observations of a small number of bears for short time periods, French and French (1990) calculated that some bears killed at least one calf per day, on average, during the four to six weeks each year that calves are vulnerable to bear predation. With the reintroduction of wolves to the northern range in 1995, the entire northern range wolves, also had minority views that expressed a wide range of opinion in the probable effects (Vales and Peek 1990, Boyce and Gaillard 1992, Singer 1991, Lyme et aI. 1993). All predicted some decline in elk numbers and some predicted declines or increases in other ungulates. Singer (U.S. Geo!. Surv., unpub!' data) predicted a decline in coyotes and an increase in faxes, and no effects on grizzly and black bears, mountain lions, and wolverines. They predicted an increase in pronghorns, moose, bighorns, and beaver, and noted that mule deer should be monitored closely. They also concluded that the moderate wolf densities they expect in future, and their effects on the large herbivore populations would not likely result in any significant effects on the northern range's vegetation. In
ELK AND OTHER SPECIES 99 the end, however, viltually all of these speculators mentioned that the only way to know what the effects of wolves would be is to reintroduce them, wait, and watch. RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS: PREDATORS Figure 7.15. Yellowstone's recently reintroduced wolf packs are relying almost solely on elk as prey. The restoration of wolves has long been seen as essential to testing natural regulation on the northern range. NPSphoto. Given the already large but growing complement of predators on the northern range, and the relatively slow rate of growth of many predator/ scavenger populations, it is possible that some predator populations are still recovedng from the combined effects of predator control programs earlier in the century, plus the ungulate herd control practiced through the 1960s. This possibility, plus the recent reintroduction of wolves (while not fully established) seem to warrant fmiher investigations of predator-prey relationships including the complex interactions. In addition, the status of several predators and scavengers, (e.g., wolverines, lynxes, and fishers), remains virtually unknown in our knowledge and are deserving of study (S. Consolo Murphy and M. Meagher, Nat!. Park Servo and U.S. Geo!. Surv, unpub!' data).
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YELLOW"STONE'S NORTHERN RANGE COMPL
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Suggested citation: Yellowstone Nat
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c=J Northern Winter Range _ Boundar
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Aspen, willows, and biodiversity ..
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vii
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THE NORTHERN RANGE xii range criter
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 2 Figure 1.1. Ph
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THE NORTHERN RANGE tion. There was
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 6 Figure 1.6. Gr
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 8 Figure 1.8. El
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 10 unpopular or
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 12 earlier Yello
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, ! ~ , I~ " 1 \, • .' '-, , \, ,
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 16 Northern rang
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Figure 2.3. Sum ot rotal annual riv
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 20 Figure 2.4 Tr
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 22 dendrochronol
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 24 Figure 2.7. A
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 26 et al. (1991)
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 28 earlier time,
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.', P (/ i0~ , • 9 ~ § , , ~ , i
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 32 systems-range
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 34 indicates the
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 36 Data were gat
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THE NORTHERN RANGE 38 grazed and un
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THE NORTHERN RANGE showed that graz
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, ~ , • V , '. ~ ;' t ~ " ~ .' .~
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Figure 4.1. Northern range, showing
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Figure 4.2. Willow distribution in
Page 64 and 65: THE NORTHERN RANGE 48 Figure 4.4. I
Page 66 and 67: THE NORTHERN RANGE 50 public lands,
Page 68 and 69: THE NORTIlERN RANGE 52 Figure 4.5.
Page 70 and 71: THE NORTHERN RANGE 54 able uncertai
Page 72 and 73: THE NORTHERN RANGE 56 to confirm an
Page 74: THE NORTHERN RANGE 58 RESEARCH RECO
Page 77 and 78: SOIL, EROSION, SEDIMENTS, AND WATER
Page 79 and 80: SOIL, EROSION, SEDIMENTS, AND WATER
Page 81 and 82: ated with ungulate winter ranges. T
Page 83 and 84: ELK POPULATION ISSUES IS YELLOWSTON
Page 85 and 86: ange grazing issue, Yellowstone man
Page 87 and 88: ELK POPULATION ISSUES 71 ... Other
Page 89 and 90: ELK POPULATION ISSUES 73 1996d), so
Page 91 and 92: ELK POPULATION ISSUES 75 the northe
Page 93 and 94: ELK POPULATION ISSUES 77 It has evo
Page 96 and 97: 4 , ~ 1 v " 'It , \ J~ ~""~ .:,~ ",
Page 98 and 99: THE NORTHERN RANGE 82 Competition t
Page 100 and 101: Figure 7.3. Bison winter range. Sin
Page 102 and 103: THE NORTHERN RANGE Figure 7.7. Envi
Page 104 and 105: THE NORTHERN RANGE 88 not aware of
Page 106 and 107: THE NORTHERN RANGE 90 tion size, an
Page 108 and 109: THE NORTHERN RANGE 92 activity (95
Page 110 and 111: THE NORTHERN RANGE 94 pursue the su
Page 112 and 113: THE NORTHERN RANGE 96 factors were
Page 116 and 117: , .. , , " , ! I ." ~, ~ " ,.\ ,•
Page 118 and 119: THE NORTHERN RANGE 102 complex set
Page 120 and 121: THE NORTHERN RANGE 104 practically
Page 122 and 123: THE NORTHERN RANGE 106 appear suppr
Page 124 and 125: AppendixA. Conferences, Meetings, a
Page 126 and 127: lJO Year Estimate Comment Source 19
Page 128 and 129: lJ2 , Estimated # of Elk Year Date
Page 130 and 131: lJ4 Winter Total Count 1967-68 397
Page 132 and 133: 116 Year Date of Count Parkwide Par
Page 134 and 135: 118 Counts and estimates of mule de
Page 136 and 137: 120 Northern Yellowstone winter ran
Page 138 and 139: 122 Population estimates and reduct
Page 140 and 141: 124 Actual count Inside Outside Est
Page 142 and 143: Pronghorn counted during spring sur
Page 144 and 145: 128 Year 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1
Page 146 and 147: Ground and aerial counts of bighorn
Page 148 and 149: REFERENCE LIST NOTES ON THIS REFERE
Page 150 and 151: Pages 199-210 in Carbyn, L.N., S.H.
Page 152 and 153: Yellowstone National Park. Technica
Page 154 and 155: mammal mortality in the 1988 Yellow
Page 156 and 157: National Park. International Journa
Page 158 and 159: Mehus, C.A. 1995. Influences ofbraw
Page 160 and 161: __ , and __ . 1996a. Preburn root b
Page 162 and 163: Pages 127-138 in F.J. Singer, ed. E
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some northern Yellowstone elk. M.S.
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I I I I I
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