Experimental Management of Fish and Wildlife Populations in Pennsylvania

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
135	0320	1070	30%
135	0812	1070	20%
135	0850	1070	50%

Progress 07/01/04 to 06/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience for this reporting period was the scientific community through peer-reviewed publications and state wildlife agencies through theses and final reports. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? This project provided training and professional development by providing opportunities for graduate research leading to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results have been disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and technical reports to state natural resource agencies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Non-governmental organizations, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission have used this information to work with landowners to implement management that has reduced the amount of pollution and sedimentation in Spring Creek. This research has demonstrated that the implementation of regulations to increase the number of large-antlered deer in the population is supported by hunters. 1. Determine the relationships between the percentages of riparian pastures and urbanization in a watershed the productivity of coldwater streams. Tile sport fishery in Spring Creek has evolved from one dominated by brook trout in the late 1800s to one dominated by brown trout by the mid1900s. Stocking of brown trout in the 1890s and later stocking of catchable size trout, poor water quality, and possibly heavy exploitation contributed to the decline of brook trout. Today brook trout persist in just a few headwater refugia. In the early 1900s, several reaches of Spring Creek were probably severely polluted, because there were no wastewater treatment plants in the watershed. As treatment plants were built between 1913 and 1968, some pollution was abated, though toxic spills from industrial sources were common. By 2001, the number of wastewater fl·eatment plants had declined from five to two, and no reaches of stream were badly polluted. Storm water runoff has now become the major threat to water quality. Since 1980, when the first comprehensive survey of trout populations was made, densities of wild brown trout have increased substantially. Since 1934, when the Spring Creek Project at Fisherman's Paradise was initiated, there have been two distinct sport fisheries on Spring Creek. Special regulations on the 1.8-km reach known as Fishennan's Paradise initially allowed a harvest of two trout per day, and terminal tackle was restricted to flies tied on barbless hooks. The reach was heavily stocked with large trout. The project became e1iormously successful atler a few years, and in 1952, more than 44,000 anglers fished there. Poor water quality led to a change in management in 1962, when harvest was discontinued, but tackle restrictions remained. The rest of the main stem of Spring Creek had no tackle restrictions and statewide harvest regulations were in eftect until 1982 when harvest of all fish was prohibited, owing to chemical contamination. Fishing pressure on Fisherman's Paradise and the rest of the main stem has been quite high, and in 2006, it was about 30 times higher than the average for other similar size wild trout streams in the state. A recent invasion by rusty crayfish and the potential of invasion from the diatom Didymosphenia geminata and the New Zealand mud snail pose a significant threat to macroinvertebrate and fish communities in Spring Creek. Development in the watershed, stimulated in part by major projects such as the construction ofi-99 poses an additional threat. When macroinvertebrates were used to assess stream health, there was convincing evidence that urban runoff in the upper part of the watershed was degrading water quality. The amount of impervious surface area in the watershed exceeds 12%, which is higher than threshold values for other watersheds that have lost coldwater fish communities. Increasing urbanization represents a serious threat to the trout fishery of Spring Creek. Protection of groundwater recharge areas is vital to ensuring that spring inflows to Spring Creek are maintained. Strict controls on storm water runoff and innovative ways to treat and dispose of domestic wastewater will help to reduce future urbanization impacts, but the watershed is clearly under stress. 2. Determine the effects of harvest regulation changes on abundance and age-sex structure of black bear and white-tailed deer populations. Selective harvest criteria, such as antler point restrictions (APRs) have been used to regulate harvest of male deer; however, comprehensive evaluation of the biological and social responses to this management strategy is lacking. In 2002 Pennsylvania adopted new antler point restrictions (APRs) for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) that required, depending on wildlife management unit, ≥3 or ≥4 points on one antler for legal harvest. Historically, harvest rates of subadult and adult males were ≥ 0.80, but APRs were designed to protect 0.50 - 0.75 of subadult antlered (≤1.5-yr-old) deer. Most adult (≥2.5-yr-old) males remained legal for harvest. To evaluate biological efficacy of APRs for facilitating recruitment of adult males, during 2002 - 2005 we measured harvest, survival, and cause-specific mortality of radio-collared male deer (453 subadult and 103 adult) in 2 study areas. We also examined road-killed females 4 years pre- and post-APRs to determine the timing of the breeding season. To evaluate hunter attitudes toward APRs, we concurrently administered deer hunter surveys over 3 years. We surveyed 2 groups of hunters: a random sample and a longitudinal panel, who filled out all 6 surveys. Survival rates did not differ by study area or year but did differ by age and month. Monthly survival rates for subadults ranged between 0.64 (0.58 - 0.69) during hunting seasons to 0.99 (0.97 - 1.0) out of season, with annual survival of 0.46 (0.41 - 0.52). Adult monthly survival rates ranged between 0.36 (0.29 - 0.45) during hunting seasons to 1.00 out of season, with annual survival of 0.28 (0.22 - 0.35). APRs successfully reduced harvest rate for subadults to 0.31 (0.23 - 0.38), and approximately 92% of these survived to the following hunting season. Adult harvest rate also decreased to 0.59 (0.40 - 0.72). Vehicle collision caused most out-of-season losses for subadults and adults but was ≤7% for both study areas. Of radio-collared subadults, 6% - 11% were harvested with sub-legal antlers, suggesting hunters generally complied with APRs. Overall antlered harvest declined statewide, and adult harvest increased despite declining deer populations. We found no relationship with timing of the breeding season and APRs. From the random sample surveys, we found hunter support for statewide APRs varied between 0.61 (0.59 - 0.64) and 0.70 (0.66 - 0.73). Support did not increase as hunters gained experience with APRs; 0.23 were more supportive, 0.29 were less supportive, and 0.48 were unchanged in their level of agreement after 3 years. Because of decreased subadult harvest and increased adult harvest, we considered APRs biologically successful. Likewise, because the majority of hunters supported APRs throughout the study, we considered APRs socially successful. However, we predicted APRs would become increasingly popular after hunters experienced biological results of APRs, but there was little change in support. Thus, we believe hunters formed an initial impression of what the effects of APRs would be, and then, due to biased processing, additional information failed to sway opinions. Antler point restrictions can be used to increase recruitment of males to older age classes, but APRs should be simple, enforceable, and regionally specific. To facilitate social acceptance, we recommend coupling management changes with education both before and after implementation.

Publications

Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Wallingford, B. D., D. R. Diefenbach, E. S. Long, C. S. Rosenberry, and G. L. Alt. 1. White-tailed Deer Responses and Hunter Reactions to Antler Point Restrictions in Pennsylvania. To be submitted to Wildlife Monographs.
Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2011 Citation: Carline, R. F., R. L. Dunlap, J. E. Detar, and B. A. Hollender. 2011. The fishery of Spring Creek - a watershed under siege. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Technical Report No. 1, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA.

Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Additional research is ongoing to improve methods of estimating deer harvest rates, which is essential to the modified Sex-Age-Kill population model. Research is continuing on the movements of brook trout in relation to habitat features and competing species.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The project modified the traditional Sex-Age-Kill deer population model to be able to use data for Pennsylvania's deer herd. This model will allow the state agency responsible for managing white-tailed deer to track deer population trends. Research on brook trout has identified interactions between brook and brown trout and developed methods for classifying stream segments relevant to brook trout ecology.

Publications

Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Norton, A. S., D. R. Diefenbach, C. S. Rosenberry, and B. D. Wallingford. 2013. Incorporating Harvest Rates into the Sex-Age-Kill Model for White-tailed Deer. Journal of Wildlife Management. Journal of Wildlife Management 77:606-615.
Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Mollenhauer, R. T. Wagner, M. V. Kepler, J. A. Sweka. 2013. Fall and early winter movement and habitat use of wild brook trout. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 142:1167-1178.
Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Wagner, T. B. J. Irwin, J. R. Bence, and D. B. Hayes. 2013. Detecting temporal trends in freshwater fisheries surveys: statistical power and the important linkages between management questions and monitoring objectives. Fisheries 38:309-319.
Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2012 Citation: Sweka, J. A., T. Wagner, J. Detar, and D. Kristine. 2012. Combining Field Data with Computer Simulations to Determine a Representative Reach for Brook Trout Assessment. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 3:209-222.

Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: One M.S. degree (Buderman 2012) was completed on estimation of survival and harvest ratesfor white-tailed deer and one Ph.D. degree (Wallingford 2012) was completed on the evaluation of antler point restriction harvest regulations. In addition, harvest rates of male wild turkeys were estimated for Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania (Diefenbach et al. 2012). These theses have been provided to the agencies supporting the research. One M.S. degree (Mollenhauer 2011) was completed on movements and habitat use of brook trout in central Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Duane R. Diefenbach and Dr. Tyler Wagner were principal investigators on this project. Three graduate research assistants worked on this project: Frances Buderman (M.S. student, harvest rate estimation for white-tailed deer and wild turkey); Bret Wallingford (Ph.D. student, effects of antler point restriction harvest regulations and their effect on harvest rates of white-tailed deer); and Robert Mollenhauer (M.S. student, movements and habitat use by brook trout). TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audiences for this research are the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: We have added a new principal investigator (Dr. W. David Walter) to assist with research on chronic wasting disease (CWD) in white-tailed deer. Chronic wasting disease was detected in a captive herd in Pennsylvania and is likely to be introduced to the wild population. This will affect deer population dynamics and modeling disease spread will be critical to management and surveillance strategies.

Impacts
The estimates of harvest rates of white-tailed deer are being used by the Pennsylvania Game Commission to estimate white-tailed deer population trends. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will be using the results from the PCB experiment to help inform decisions related to fish consumption advisories.

Publications

Mollenhauer, R. 2011. Seasonal movement and habitat use of wild brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). M.S. Thesis. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 112 pp.
Rosenberry, C. S., A. S. Norton, D. R. Diefenbach, J. T. Fleegle, and B. D. Wallingford. 2011. White-tailed deer population trends and age ratios as herd management and predator impact measures in Pennsylvania. Wildlife Society Bulletin 35:461-468.
Wallingford, B. D. 2012. White-tailed deer antler point restrictions, harvest and survival rates, and hunter support: perception versus reality. Ph.D. Dissertation. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 128 pp.
Buderman, F. E. 2012. A joint Kaplan-Meier known-fate and Brownie tag-recovery model to estimate harvest and survival rates. M.S. Thesis. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 167 pp.
Rennie, M. D., M. P. Ebener, and T. Wagner. 2012. Can migration mitigate the effects of ecosystem change Patterns of dispersal, energy acquisition and allocation in Great Lakes lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis). Proceedings of the 10th Annual Coregonid Symposium. Advances in Limnology 63:455-476.
Hill, J. M. and C. S. Elphick. 2012. Are grassland passerines especially susceptible to negative transmitter impacts Wildlife Society Bulletin 35:362-367.

Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Three M.S. degrees have been completed on survival and harvest rates, habitat use, and population estimation methods for white-tailed deer. These theses have been provided to the agencies supporting the research.Three new experiments were started that are examining the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors on fish movement, habitat use, and habitat. Two experiments were completed, one that examined movement and habitat use of brook trout and one that developed estimation and simulation methods for assessing the statistical power to detect temporal trends in ecological monitoring programs. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
The estimates of harvest rates of white-tailed deer are being used by the Pennsylvania Game Commission to estimate white-tailed deer population trends. The research results on developing a population estimation model was provided to Gettysburg National Military Park along with estimates of deer abundance and measures of precision. The park will be using these estimates to update their goals and objectives for managing white-tailed deer. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will be using the models developed for movement and habitat use of brook trout to help inform future management decisions, and the National Park Service is using the methods we developed to evaluate their vegetation monitoring programs used in National Parks in the northeastern U.S.

Publications

Wagner, T., D. R. Diefenbach, A. S. Norton, and S. A. Christensen. 2011. Using multilevel models to quantify heterogeneity in resource selection. Journal of Wildlife Management 75(8):1788-1796. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.212.
Diefenbach, D. R., M. Casalena, M. Schiavone, M. Reynolds, R. Eriksen, W. C. Vreeland, B. Swift, and R. C. Boyd. 2011. Variation in Spring Harvest Rates of Male Wild Turkeys in New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Journal of Wildlife Management (In Press).
Norton, A. S., D. R. Diefenbach, B. D. Wallingford, and C. S. Rosenberry. 2011 Spatio-Temporal Variation in Male White-Tailed Deer Harvest Rates in Pennsylvania: Implications for Estimating Abundance. Journal of Wildlife Management. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.249.
Diefenbach, D. R. and S. M. Shea. 2011. Managing white-tailed deer: eastern North America. In Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer. D. G. Hewitt, editor. CRC Press. Boca Raton, FL. Pages 481-500.
Stauffer, G. E., D. R. Diefenbach, M. Marshall, and D. Brauning. 2011. Nest success of grassland sparrows on reclaimed surface mines. Journal of Wildlife Management 75:548-557.
Marshall, M. R. and D. R. Diefenbach. 2010. Grasshopper sparrow. In Terrestrial Vertebrates of Pennsylvania: A Complete Guide to Species of Conservation Concern. M. A. Steele, M. C. Brittingham, T. J. Maret, and J. F. Merritt, editors. Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, MD. Pages 316-320.
Diefenbach, D. R. 2010. Snowshoe hare. In Terrestrial Vertebrates of Pennsylvania: A Complete Guide to Species of Conservation Concern. M. A. Steele, M. C. Brittingham, T. J. Maret, and J. F. Merritt, editors. Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, MD. Pages 386-389.
Marshall, M. R. and D. R. Diefenbach. 2010. Henslow's sparrow. In Terrestrial Vertebrates of Pennsylvania: A Complete Guide to Species of Conservation Concern. M. A. Steele, M. C. Brittingham, T. J. Maret, and J. F. Merritt, editors. Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, MD. Pages 159-162.
Wagner, T., P. A. Soranno, K. E. Webster, and K. S. Cheruvelil. 2011. Landscape drivers of regional variation in the relationship between total phosphorus and chlorophyll in lakes. Freshwater Biology 56:1811-1824. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2011.02621.x
Soranno, P. A., T. Wagner, S. Martin, L. McLean, L. Novitski, C. Provence, and A. Rober. 2011. Quantifying regional reference conditions for freshwater ecosystem management: A comparison of approaches and future research needs. Lake and Reservoir Management 27:138-148.
Wagner, T. and J. A. Sweka. 2011. Evaluation of hypotheses for describing temporal trends in Atlantic salmon parr densities in Northeast U.S. Rivers. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 31:340-351.
Stainbrook, D. P. 2011. Methods of estimating white-tailed deer abundance at Gettysburg National Military Park: testing assumptions of distance sampling. M.S. Thesis. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 110 pp.
Keenan, M. T. 2010. Hunter distribution and harvest of female white-tailed deer in Pennsylvania. M.S. Thesis. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 89 pp.
Christensen, S. A. 2010. Movement and habitat use of sika and white-tailed deer on Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland. M.S. Thesis. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 105 pp.

Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Monitoring White-tailed Deer Populations: An analysis of white-tailed deer survival and harvest data provided insight into ways in which deer population estimates can be improved for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Findings were shared with the agency via a M.S. thesis (Norton 2010). Use of Reclaimed Surface Mines by Grassland Sparrows: Research is continuing on benefits of shrub removal on reclaimed surface mines for grassland sparrows. In winter 2010 we removed shrubs from four 50-acre plots to compare abundance and nest success to pre-treatment and control plots. Biological Assessment of Experimental Panfish Enhancement Regulations on Select Pennsylvania Impoundments: The report for this project is currently in the final review process with the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC). Once finalized, this report will be made available to the public on the PFBC website. In addition, web reports have already been posted online for individual study lakes used in this study. A manuscript will be prepared and submitted to a peer-reviewed outlet as a means to disseminate this research to the scientific community. Smallmouth Bass Electrofishing Catch Rate in Large Pennsylvania Rivers and Examination of Smallmouth Bass Recruitment Indices: The final report for this project is currently being developed with the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC). A manuscript will be prepared and submitted to a peer-reviewed outlet as a means to disseminate this research to the scientific community. PARTICIPANTS: Co-PI - Duane R. Diefenbach; Co-PI - Tyler Wagner; Graduate Research Assistant - Andrew S. Norton TARGET AUDIENCES: Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Monitoring White-tailed Deer Populations: Based on the results of this research, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has modified its method for estimating deer abundance. Biological Assessment of Experimental Panfish Enhancement Regulations on Select Pennsylvania Impoundments: Results of this research indicated that panfish populations responded favorably to experimental regulations and that the experimental regulations largely had a positive effect on angler satisfaction. This winter, a decision will be made by the PFBC on whether or not to formally adopt the experimental regulations on select waterbodies throughout the Commonwealth. Smallmouth Bass Electrofishing Catch Rate in Large Pennsylvania Rivers and Examination of Smallmouth Bass Recruitment Indices: Results of this research suggest that specific recruitment indices perform better than others for predicting catch rate of older smallmouth bass. This information will be used by the PFBC to evaluate their smallmouth bass sampling program (i.e., to prioritize sampling effort, reduce costs, and increase overall program efficiency).

Publications

Long, E. S., D. R. Diefenbach, B. D. Wallingford, and C. S. Rosenberry. 2010. Influence of Roads, Rivers, and Mountains on Natal Dispersal of White-tailed Deer. Journal of Wildlife Management 74:1242-1249.
Stauffer, G. E., M. R. Marshall, D. R. Diefenbach, and D. W. Brauning. 2010. Reclaimed surface mine habitat and grassland bird populations. In S. K. Majumdar, T. L. Master, M. C. Brittingham, R. M. Ross, R. S. Mulvihill, and J. E Huffman, eds. Avian Ecology and Conservation: A Pennsylvania focus with national implications. Pennsylvania Academy of Science. Easton, PA. Pgs. 86-96.
Norton, A. S. 2010. An evaluation of the Pennsylvania Sex-Age-kill model for white-tailed deer. Thesis. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 86 pgs.
Lorantas, R., T. Wagner, D. Arnold, J. Detar, M. Kaufmann, K. Kuhn, R. Lorson, R. Wnuk, and A. Woomer. 2010. Smallmouth Bass Electrofishing Catch Rate in Large Pennsylvania Rivers and Examination of Smallmouth Bass Recruitment Indices. Technical Report. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. 67 pgs.

Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Research is continuing on white-tailed deer and deer hunting with more than 300 deer being monitored. Approximately 30 female black bears are being monitored to study reproductive and survival rates. Fish sampling on the Ohio and Allegheny rivers has been conducted to assess effects of gravel dredging. PARTICIPANTS: Three graduate students were involved with this research: Jonathan Freedman, Wendy Vreeland, and Andrew Norton. TARGET AUDIENCES: Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is using data to assist with management recommendations for game harvest management. Results of fish sampling will be used by PA Fish and Boat Commission when issuing dredging permits.

Publications

Millspaugh, J. J., J. R. Skalski, R. L. Townsend, D. R. Diefenbach, M. S. Boyce, L. P. Hansen, and K. Kammermeyer. 2009. An evaluation of Sex-Age-Kill (SAK) model performance. Journal of Wildlife Management 73:442-451.
Rosenberry, C. S., E. S. Long, H. M. Hassel-Finnegan, V. P. Buonaccorsi, D. R. Diefenbach, and B. D. Wallingford. 2009. Lack of mother-offspring relationships in white-tailed deer capture groups. Journal of Wildlife Management 73:357-361.

Progress 10/01/07 to 09/30/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Research is continuing on white-tailed deer and deer hunting with more than 300 deer being monitored. Approximately 30 female black bears are being monitored to study reproductive and survival rates. Fish sampling on the Ohio and Allegheny rivers has been conducted to assess effects of gravel dredging. PARTICIPANTS: Robert Carline and Duane Diefenbach TARGET AUDIENCES: Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is using data to assist with management recommendations for game harvest management. Results of fish sampling will be used by PA Fish and Boat Commission when issuing dredging permits.

Publications

Stedman, R. C., P. Bhandari, A. E. Luloff, D. R. Diefenbach, and J. C. Finley. 2008. Deer hunting on Pennsylvania's public and private lands: a two-tiered system of hunters Human Dimensions of Wildlife. 13:222-233.
Long, E. S., D. R. Diefenbach, C. S. Rosenberry, and B. D. Wallingford. 2008. Multiple proximate and ultimate causes of natal dispersal in white-tailed deer. Behavioral Ecology. 19:1235-1242.
Diefenbach, D. R., E. S. Long, C. S. Rosenberry, B. D. Wallingford, and D. R. Smith. 2008. Modeling the distribution of dispersal distances in male white-tailed deer. Journal of Wildlife Management. 72:1296-1303.
Conn, P. B., D. R. Diefenbach, J. L. Laake, M. A. Ternent, and G. C. White. 2008. Bayesian analysis of wildlife age-at-harvest data. Biometrics. 64:1170-1177.

Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Research is continuing on white-tailed deer and deer hunting with more than 300 deer being monitored. Approximately 30 female black bears are being monitored to study reproductive and survival rates. Fish sampling on the Ohio and Allegheny rivers has been conducted to assess effects of gravel dredging. PARTICIPANTS: David Lieb, Jonathan Freedman, Sonja Christensen, Wendy Vreeland, Matthew Keenan, Glenn Stauffer, Andrew Norton TARGET AUDIENCES: Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

Impacts
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is using data to assist with management recommendations for harvest management. Results of fish sampling will be used by management agencies when issuing dredging permits.

Publications

Conn, P. B. and D. R. Diefenbach. 2007. Adjusting age and stage distributions for misclassification errors. Ecology 88:1977-1983.
Diefenbach, D. R., M. R. Marshall, J. A. Mattice, and D. W. Brauning. 2007. Incorporating availability for detection in estimates of bird abundance. Auk 124:96-106.
Mahan, C. G., D. R. Diefenbach, and W. Cass. 2007. Evaluating and revising a long-term monitoring program for vascular plants: lessons from Shenandoah National Park. Natural Areas Journal 27:16-24.
Diefenbach, D. R. and R. S. Fritsky. 2007. Developing and testing a rapid assessment protocol for monitoring vegetation changes on state forest lands. Final report prepared for Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Page 74
Lieb, D. A., R. F. Carline, and V. M. Mengel. 2007. Crayfish Survey and Discovery of a Member of the Cambarus acuminatus complex (Decapoda: Cambaridae) at Valley Forge National Historical Park in Southeastern Pennsylvania. National Park Service. Philadelphia, PA. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR-2007/084. Page 49
Lieb, D. A., R. F. Carline, and H. M. Ingram. 2007. Status of Native and Invasive Crayfish in Ten National Park Service Properties in Pennsylvania. National Park Service. Philadelphia, PA. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR-2007/085. Page 93

Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06

Outputs
Research is continuing on white-tailed deer and hunting with over 100 deer being monitored and 30 female black bears being monitored to study their denning ecology. Post-treatment data from the riparian restoration study have been incorporated into a summary document that has been submitted for publication.

Impacts
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is using data to assist with management recommendations for harvest management. Positive results from the riparian restoration study have stimulated several new restoration projects in the Spring Creek watershed.

Publications

Carline, R.F. 2006. Regulation of an unexploited brown trout population in Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 135:943-954.
Counahan, D.F., Carline, R.F., and Reid, J.W. 2006. The occurrence of the calanoid copepod Eurytemora affinis (Poppe) in the upper Ohio River. Northeastern Naturalist 12:541-545.
Diefenbach, D.R., Hansen, L.A., Warren, R.J., and Conroy, M.J. Conroy. 2006. Spatial organization of a reintroduced population of bobcats. Journal of Mammalogy 87:394-401.
Fritsky, R.S. 2006. Effects of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program on abundance and survival of eastern cottontails in Pennsylvania. M.S. Thesis, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 72 pp.
Grant, C.J. 2005. Relationships between riparian buffers and summer stream temperatures. M.S. Thesis. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 105 pp.
Kocovsky, P.M. and Carline, R.F. 2006. Influence of landscape-scale factors in limiting brook trout populations in Pennsylvania streams. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 135:76-88.
Peterson, D.L., Peterson, J., and Carline, R.F. Carline. 2006. Effects of zooplankton density on survival of stocked walleye fry in five Pennsylvania reservoirs. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 21(1):121-129.

Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05

Outputs
Nine sites in the Spring Creek watershed were sampled to estimate substrate composition, macroinvertebrate density, and fish population sizes. Forty female bears are being monitored through the hunting season and recaptured this winter in the dens to monitor reproduction. Over 130 female deer were captured and radiocollared this year.

Impacts
Data from stream surveys will show the benefits of riparian restoration. Monitoring radiocollared deer and bear will provide estimates of harvest rates during the hunting seasons.

Publications

Diefenbach, D.R., Finley, J.C., Luloff, A.E., Stedman, R., Swope, C.B., Zinn, H.C. and San Julian, G.J. 2005. Bear and Deer Hunter Density and Distribution on Public Land in Pennsylvania. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 10:201-212.
Kocovsky, P.M. and Carline, R.F. 2005. Stream pH as an ecological gradient influencing distributions of trout in Pennsylvania streams. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 134:1299-1312.
Long, E.S. 2005. Landscape and social-structure influences on dispersal of white-tailed deer in Pennsylvania. Ph.D. dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 182 pp.
Long, E.S., Diefenbach, D.R., Rosenberry, C.S., Wallingford, B.D. and Grund, M.D. 2005. Forest cover influences dispersal distance of white-tailed deer. Journal of Mammalogy 86:623-629.
Long, E.S., Sweitzer, R.A., Diefenbach, D.R. and Ben-David, M. 2005. Controlling for anthropogenically induced atmospheric variation in stable carbon isotope studies. Oecologia 146:148-156.
Patten, K.A. 2005. Brook trout and brown trout habitat use in two Pennsylvania streams. M.S. Thesis. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 53 pp.

Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04

Outputs
Stream sections in urban and agricultural watersheds have been selected and preliminary sampling has begun. Forty bears were captured and radiocollared this summer and will be monitored through the hunting season and recaptured this winter in the dens to monitor reproduction. Over 220 male deer were captured and radiocollared this year.

Impacts
Results from studies on urban and agricultural watersheds will be used to quantify effects of different land-use practices on coldwater stream communities. Results from studies on urban and agricultural watersheds will be used to quantify effects of different land-use practices on coldwater stream communities. Monitoring radiocollared bears and deer will provide estimates of harvest rates during the hunting seasons.

Publications

Counahan, D.F. 2004. An assessment of zooplankton as a food resource for paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) in the Ohio River. M.S. Thesis. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park. 79 pp.
Diefenbach, D.R., Laake, J.L. and Alt, G.L. 2004. Spatio-temporal and demographic variation in the harvest of black bears: implications for population estimation. Journal of Wildlife Management 68: 947-959.
Kocovsky, P.M. 2004. Predicting density and biomass of wild brook trout and brown trout in Pennsylvania streams using landscape- and reach-scale factors. Ph.D. Thesis. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park. 188 pp.
Rosenberry, C.S., Diefenbach, D.R. and Wallingford, B.D. 2004. Reporting rate variability and precision of white-tailed deer harvest estimates in Pennsylvania. Journal of Wildlife Management 68:858-867.
Barry, P.M. 2004. Movement and habitat use of juvenile paddlefish in the Ohio River system, Pennsylvania. M.S. Thesis. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park. 42 pp.