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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Comment On Siemer Et Al. (2013), Heidi Perryman Jan 2013

Comment On Siemer Et Al. (2013), Heidi Perryman

Human–Wildlife Interactions

As a psychologist with special concern for public attitudes toward beaver (Castor canadensis) management, I read with interest the Siemer, Jonker, Becker, and Organ article appearing in your spring issue (Siemer et al. 2013). I was surprised to see that the article was based on data >10 years old and that the report did not even mention the Needham and Morzillo (2011) survey from Oregon that looked at such parallel issues with contrasting results. I was especially disheartened to see that the study did not address in any way the successful use of flow devices that has made …


Winter Habitat Use By Juvenile Greater Sage-Grouse On Parker Mountain, Utah: Implications For Sagebrush Management, Danny Caudill, Terry A. Messmer, Brent Bibles, Michael R. Guttery Jan 2013

Winter Habitat Use By Juvenile Greater Sage-Grouse On Parker Mountain, Utah: Implications For Sagebrush Management, Danny Caudill, Terry A. Messmer, Brent Bibles, Michael R. Guttery

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) are entirely dependent on sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) for food and cover during winter. Loss or fragmentation of important wintering areas could have a disproportionate affect on population size. We radio-marked and monitored 91 juvenile sage-grouse in south-central Utah from 2008 to 2010. Thirty-four individuals survived to winter (January to March) and were used to evaluate winter habitat use. Resource use was calculated using kernel density estimation of radio-marked individuals and compared to available habitat using a G-test. We found that juvenile sage-grouse used winter habitats characterized by 0 to 5% slopes …


Vitals Rates And Seasonal Movements Of Two Isolated Greater Sage-Grouse Populations In Utah's West Desert, Jason D. Robinson, Terry A. Messmer Jan 2013

Vitals Rates And Seasonal Movements Of Two Isolated Greater Sage-Grouse Populations In Utah's West Desert, Jason D. Robinson, Terry A. Messmer

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Declines in greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) populations in Utah over the last century parallel range-wide trends. However, little is known about the ecology of sage-grouse populations that inhabit Utah’s naturally fragmented habitats. Utah’s West Desert sage-grouse populations occupy sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats that are geographically separated by the Great Salt Lake, and largely confined to the Sheeprock and Deep Creek watersheds. From 2005 to 2006, we monitored sage-grouse that were radio-collared in each watershed to determine the factors affecting the vital rates in these isolated populations. Livestock grazing by domestic cattle was the dominate land use, …


Putting Local Knowledge And Context To Work For Gunnison Sage-Grouse Conservation, Corrine Noel Knapp, James Cochran, F. Stuart Chapin Iii, Gary Kofinas, Nathan Sayre Jan 2013

Putting Local Knowledge And Context To Work For Gunnison Sage-Grouse Conservation, Corrine Noel Knapp, James Cochran, F. Stuart Chapin Iii, Gary Kofinas, Nathan Sayre

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Successful conservation requires adequate understanding of focal species and ecology, practices that may assist species survival, and a community of people willing and able to conserve the species. For many species at risk, we operate with imperfect knowledge in complex conservation contexts. In this case study involving the Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus), we interviewed 26 community-defined local experts, including both those with and without related academic degrees, to assess the utility of local knowledge for understanding and informing conservation opportunities.This project suggests several benefits of integrating local knowledge that apply specifically to rare and endemic populations, including the …


Factors Influencing Survival And Productivity Of Pronghorn In A Semiarid Grass-Woodland In East-Central New Mexico, Louis C. Bender, Jon C. Boren, Heather Halbritter, Shad Cox Jan 2013

Factors Influencing Survival And Productivity Of Pronghorn In A Semiarid Grass-Woodland In East-Central New Mexico, Louis C. Bender, Jon C. Boren, Heather Halbritter, Shad Cox

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Pronghorns (Antilocapra americana) are an important source of revenue and recreation for property managers throughout New Mexico, but have been declining in number. We documented body condition, survival, production of fawns, and trends in population size of pronghorns on the Corona Range and Livestock Research Center (CRLRC), a working research ranch and wildlife enterprise located in east-central New Mexico, from 2006 through 2011. Accrual of all indices of condition and size of both adult female and adult male pronghorns was positively associated with precipitation during June to July, August to September, and annually. Annual survival rates of females …


Recommended Management Strategies To Limit Anthropogenic Noise Impacts On Greater Sage-Grouse In Wyoming, Gail L. Patricelli, Jessica L. Blickley, Stacie L. Hooper Jan 2013

Recommended Management Strategies To Limit Anthropogenic Noise Impacts On Greater Sage-Grouse In Wyoming, Gail L. Patricelli, Jessica L. Blickley, Stacie L. Hooper

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Recent research has demonstrated that noise from natural gas development negatively impacts sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) abundance, stress levels, and behaviors. Other types of anthropogenic noise sources are similar to gas-development noise and, thus, the response by sage-grouse is likely to be similar. The results of research suggest that effective management of the natural soundscape is critical to the conservation and protection of sage-grouse. The goals of this review are to discuss current approaches in the management of new and existing noise sources in Wyoming and recommend research priorities for establishing effective noise management strategies. We make 4 interim …


Response Of A Small Population Of Greater Sage-Grouse To Tree Removal: Implications Of Limiting Factors, S. Nicole Frey, Rachel Curtis, Kevin Heaton Jan 2013

Response Of A Small Population Of Greater Sage-Grouse To Tree Removal: Implications Of Limiting Factors, S. Nicole Frey, Rachel Curtis, Kevin Heaton

Human–Wildlife Interactions

In Utah, greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) range has been reduced to 50% of what is considered historical availability due to habitat degradation and loss. In an effort to improve sage-grouse habitat in southern Utah, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) conducted a tree-removal treatment in 2005. We conducted a study to determine if (a) the tree-removal treatment was effective at creating new sage-grouse habitat, and (b) if characteristics of used habitat were similar to those reported in previous literature. The treatment resulted in increased abundance of grasses and forbs. Additionally, shrub percentage cover and height …


Response To Perryman Comment On Siemer Et Al. (2013), William F. Siemer, Daniel J. Decker, Sandra A. Jonker Jan 2013

Response To Perryman Comment On Siemer Et Al. (2013), William F. Siemer, Daniel J. Decker, Sandra A. Jonker

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.


Occurrence And Success Of Greater Sage-Grouse Broods In Relation To Insect-Vegetation Community Gradients, Seth M. Harju, Chad V. Olson, Lisa Foy-Martin, Stephen L. Webb, Matthew R. Dzialak, Jeffrey B. Winstead, Larry D. Hayden-Wing Jan 2013

Occurrence And Success Of Greater Sage-Grouse Broods In Relation To Insect-Vegetation Community Gradients, Seth M. Harju, Chad V. Olson, Lisa Foy-Martin, Stephen L. Webb, Matthew R. Dzialak, Jeffrey B. Winstead, Larry D. Hayden-Wing

Human–Wildlife Interactions

A community-level approach to identify important brood habitats of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) may prove useful in guiding management actions because it acknowledges that important habitat components are not ecologically independent from each other. We used principal components analysis to combine insect and vegetation variables into community gradients and used logistic regression to link these components with brood survival and occurrence. We found that brood success was higher when broods occurred in specific insect-vegetation community types. A relationship between brood occurrence and insect-vegetation gradients was not apparent. The high resolution of the data and the solid validation performance …


Stakeholder Contemporary Knowledge Needs Regarding The Potential Effects Of Tall Structures On Sage-Grouse, Terry A. Messmer, Robert Hasenyager, James Burruss, Sherry Liguori Jan 2013

Stakeholder Contemporary Knowledge Needs Regarding The Potential Effects Of Tall Structures On Sage-Grouse, Terry A. Messmer, Robert Hasenyager, James Burruss, Sherry Liguori

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005 required all state and federal agencies to grant utilities access permits to promote reliable, renewable energy production and transmission. Contemporary transmission relies largely on above-ground electric transmission structures and lines. The construction, operation, and maintenance of tall structures, such as power lines, communication towers, wind turbines, and other installations and their associated activities in sage-grouse (Centrocercus spp.) habitats were identified as a conservation threat by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in its decision to designate greater sage-grouse (C. urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) as a candidate species for protection under the Endangered …


Livestock Predation By Common Leopard In Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, India: Human-Wildlife Conflicts And Conservation Issues, Chandra Prakash Kala, Kishor Kumar Kothari Jan 2013

Livestock Predation By Common Leopard In Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, India: Human-Wildlife Conflicts And Conservation Issues, Chandra Prakash Kala, Kishor Kumar Kothari

Human–Wildlife Interactions

We investigate livestock predation by the common leopard (Panthera pardus) and emerging conflicts between this species, local people, and wildlife authorities at the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary in the Himalayan region of India. We scrutinized secondary data that were collected by wildlife authorities; we also conducted informal interviews of villagers living within sanctuary, and wildlife staff to understand various human–leopard conflicts. Leopard density was approximately 0.33/km2 in the sanctuary. Leopards killed 1,763 domestic animals, about 90% of which were cattle, during a 14-year period. Within the sanctuary, leopards killed 1 person and injured 9 others. This high depredation rate …