Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference 2016

AUTHORS: Talesha J. Dokes*, Michigan State University; Eric Clark, Inland Fish and Wildlife Department of Sault Ste. Marie; Brad R. Silet, Michigan State University; Rusty W. Aikens, Inland Fish and Wildlife Department of Sault Ste. Marie; John H. Powell,Inland Fish and Wildlife Department of Sault Ste. Marie and Gary J. Roloff, Michigan State University

ABSTRACT: American marten were reintroduced to Michigan starting in the mid-1900s. Currently marten are considered a sustainable resource in the Upper Peninsula (UP) and the signatories to the 2007 Inland Consent Decree each administer a limited trapping season. Although detailed information is collected on recreationally harvested marten, little is known about non-harvest mortality or individual survival in the UP. We partnered with the Inland Fish and Wildlife Department (IFWD) of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians to trap and radio collar marten within the Hiawatha National Forest of the eastern UP. Our objectives were to identify the sources and quantify the rate of non-harvest mortality. We collared 17 female and 18 male marten since 2013; 69% were adults and 31% were young adult/juveniles. Over the 24 months of our study, confirmed mortality was 29% (10 deaths), 80% where adults. Of the 10 marten mortalities, 4 were attributed to incidental trapping, 4 to predation (based on circumstantial evidence), and 2 to other (collar entrapment and drowning). We observed a higher mortality rate for females than males, 60% and 40%, respectively.

AUTHORS: Melissa Nichols*, Grand Valley State University; Paul Keenlance, Grand Valley State University; Joseph Jacquot, Grand Valley State University

ABSTRACT: We sought to determine the habitat variables that could be used to characterize den sites selected by American marten Martes americana and to describe specific denning structures within the Manistee National Forest in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. We used radio-telemetry to track female marten during the denning seasons in 2012 to 2014 and analyzed both the denning structure used as well as the habitat surrounding the den. We found that den trees were significantly larger than the trees that surround the den (p

AUTHORS: Ashley Wurth*, Ohio State University; Seth Newsome, University of New Mexico; Shane McKenzie, Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation; Stan Gehrt, Ohio State University

ABSTRACT: The health and ecology of wildlife species are affected by urbanization due to factors such as the presence of anthropogenic food resources, road density, stress, and habitat quality. For some species, urbanization results in increased body condition and weight, while others are negatively affected. We utilized a 15-year data set to compare the body condition of coyotes by using body weights and a scaled mass index (SMI) along a suburb-urban gradient in the Chicago metropolitan area (CMA). As coyotes in highly urbanized areas inhabit areas densely populated by humans and have larger home ranges than suburban area, we hypothesized that urban coyotes would have poorer SMI than suburban coyotes. However, in rural areas coyotes also exhibit larger home ranges and have high mortality rates relative to suburban areas or fragments of natural habitats. Therefore, we also tested the hypothesis that condition of coyotes does not differ between suburban and rural areas by comparing previously published data on rural Illinois coyotes to coyotes near Chicago in both suburban and core urban areas. Results did not indicate that urbanization negatively influences body condition but suggests that body condition might actually increase in urban areas. Overall, it is clear that urbanization is not negatively impacting body condition in coyotes.

AUTHORS: Andrew Rutter*, Southern Illinois University CWRL; Dr.Clay Nielsen, Southern Illinois University CWRL; Dr. Eric Schauber, Southern Illinois University CWRL

ABSTRACT: River otter Lontra canadensis populations in Illinois have rebounded considerably due to >80 years of harvest protection. Relatively few studies of river otter ecology exist in the Midwestern U.S. where river otters have increased regionally. The objectives of our study are to estimate capture efficiency, survival, and home ranges of otters in southern Illinois. During winter 2014-15 we captured 26 river otters; 8 in foot-hold traps (1 capture/87.5 trap nights) and 18 in box traps (1 capture/50.8 trap nights). Twenty-two river otters were surgically implanted with intra-abdominal radio-transmitters and individuals were located and monitored for survival using radiotelemetry. Only 1 river otter died during the study period. Home ranges (95% fixed kernel) were calculated for 21 river otters; core areas (50% fixed kernel) were calculated for 17 of those individuals. Mean female and male home ranges were 1,813 ± 632 ha (N=11) and 5,179 ± 1,075 ha (N=10), respectively. Mean female and male core areas were 481 ± 173 ha and 978 ± 254 ha, respectively. Similar to other studies, male home ranges and core areas were 2.85 and 2.03 times larger, respectively, than for females. Our research will provide information for river otter management in Midwestern landscapes.

AUTHORS: Bryn E.H. Evans*, University of Wisconsin Madison; Shawn M. Crimmins, University of Wisconsin Madison; Timothy R. Van Deelen, University of Wisconsin Madison

ABSTRACT: The St Louis River Estuary was designated as an Area of Concern in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1987. The estuary enters Lake Superior at the urban / industrial complex of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin and has historically experienced physical modification and chemical pollution. Degraded wildlife habitat and wildlife populations were included among the Beneficial Use Impairments to be addressed as an A.O.C., and while several remediation projects have been completed, there was no clear picture of the recovery of semi-aquatic mammals in the area. Using a combination of motion triggered cameras and aerial surveys, we are quantifying semi-aquatic mammal populations throughout the estuary as well as in two unimpaired reference sites; Boulder Lake Reservoir in eastern Minnesota and the St Croix River near Danbury in northwestern Wisconsin. Data collection began in November 2014, focusing on the occurrence of river otter Lontra canadensis, beaver Castor canadensis, mink Neovison vison, and muskrat Ondatra zibethicus. The data are analyzed in an occupancy modeling framework to assess differences in abundance between the estuary and unimpaired sites and to determine habitat relationships for these species. We are also attempting a novel approach to quantifying changing detection probabilities in response to vegetation growth by incorporating phenology data. Preliminary synthesis of early data collection indicates species recovery is occurring in the Area of Concern, and as of fall 2015 data collection is ongoing both via trail cameras and aerial surveys. Our final analysis will focus on any remaining barriers to full recovery, as well as provide a means of validating current aerial survey methods for semi-aquatic mammals in this region by comparing those results to the intensive field monitoring.

AUTHORS: Zachery Millbrand*; Bob Grese; Bobbi Low

ABSTRACT: For the past 20 years, models to predict probabilities of ideal habitats for wolves in the Great Lakes Region have relied on the variable of road densities of highways, paved-roads, and roads passable without the use of four-wheel drive as a proxy for human accessibility. Recent studies have shown that this is a more descriptive method than predictive, and that the accuracy of previous models is approximately 60%. Furthermore, other studies have shown that wolves may themselves utilize roads for both travel and prey procurement, and that wolves have a higher tolerance for human activity than thought previously. Due to the increase in data available and improved geographic information analysis methods, I will be exploring whether or not other variables alone or in conjunction with road densities will be more descriptive of current grey wolf habitat in Michigan. This analysis will consist of layers of hiking trails, snowmobile trails, and forest road densities. I will also be seeking to test this new methodology by georeferencing it against previously obtained field and telemetry data of grey wolves in Michigan. With the placement of the grey wolf in Michigan back on the Endangered Species list in December 2014, the need for better understanding of habitat which will support the species is needed. Based on the expansion of findings for previous models, more accurate and robust modeling efforts can then be used in the future to calculate ideal population sizes and to assist management officials in better targeting conservation efforts. Since the days of Aldo Leopold, human-wolf interactions have been blamed on habitat loss and fragmentation. If more robust modelling methods are used in conjunction with education and outreach efforts, it is possible to better conserve the species in accordance with federal law, as well as to predict future potential habitat sites.

AUTHORS: Shawn Crimmins, University of Wisconsin; Timothy Van Deelen, University of Wisconsin; Liza Walleser, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; David MacFarland, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Nathan Roberts, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

ABSTRACT: With the removal of federal protections for gray wolves Canis lupus in the Great Lakes region, state wildlife management agencies will be tasked with continued monitoring of these populations without the financial resources that come with federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. Current approaches are labor intensive, cost-prohibitive, and lack a robust statistical framework for evaluating uncertainty in population estimates. We are evaluating a suite of alternative monitoring protocols for gray wolves in Wisconsin with the hope of providing a cost-effective, but statistically and scientifically defensible, monitoring framework. Our approach combines retrospective analyses of historical monitoring data along with empirical evaluations of newly collected field data and ultimately the integration of the two. For our retrospective analyses we are 1) using a 20-year dataset of snow-track surveys conducted throughout wolf range in a hierarchical occupancy modeling framework, 2) using historical telemetry and demographic data to identify density-dependent patterns in space-use and reproductive dynamics, and 3) using age-at-harvest data to develop statistical population reconstructions. Our newly initiated field evaluations include 1) non-invasive genetic sampling for mark-recapture analyses, 2) remote camera monitoring for spatial capture-recapture analyses, 3) intensive monitoring of den sites to determine pack-level recruitment, and 4) snow-track surveys combined with high-resolution GPS telemetry data for site-structured abundance models. Once the most efficient and cost-effective methods have been identified we will proceed to use these approaches in an integrated population modeling framework. Our work could serve as a guide for other jurisdictions that require effective wolf monitoring programs, perhaps serving as the basis for a standardized protocol, and will also help guide monitoring programs for other carnivore species of management interest.