Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA
COLLEGE OF FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION
MISSOULA,MT 59812
Performing Department
College of Forestry and Conservation
Non Technical Summary
The transboundary North Fork Flathead River watershed is the primary intact landscape for wildlife connectivity along the U.S./Canada border. Climate change, combined with potential human activities across the landscape, may cause serious fragmentation of grizzly bear and wolverine habitats and populations within the transboundary Flathead. We will assess and project the cumulative impacts of climate change and expected human activities on grizzlies and wolverines in the transboundary Flathead and Glacier National Park, including impacts on mortality risk, foods, habitat use, movement, connectivity and dispersal through telemetry and non-invasive DNA sampling.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
We propose to analyze existing ecological data for grizzly bears and wolverines in the transboundary Flathead and the Glacier Park ecosystem and to collect new field data to: Develop baseline data on grizzly bear and wolverine distribution, density, seasonal habitat use patterns, movement patterns, and dispersal requirements in relation to human use in areas subject to fragmentation; Assess and project the cumulative impacts of ongoing and expected human activities that can fragment the transboundary Flathead and Glacier Park ecosystem at 3 scales: site-specific, watershed, and regional. These impacts will include mortality risk, habitat use, and movement and dispersal in order to assess effects on ecosystem function, integrity, and connectivity. Assess the expected effects of climate change on foods and habitat use in the area and project expected needs for grizzly bears and wolverines to maintain population connectivity with adjacent habitats and populations as climate change impacts proceed. Develop appropriate management strategies for cores, buffers, and linkages in order to maintain ecosystem structure and function, including operative metapopulations of grizzly bears and wolverines.
Project Methods
All capture and handling of wolverines and grizzly bears will be as per appropriate IACUC protocols as follows: Wolverines of all ages and sexes will be trapped from December through 15 April. We will capture wolverines using log cabin-style traps (Copeland et al. 1995) baited with beaver (Castor canadensis) and road-killed deer (Odocoileus spp.). We will use remote monitors on trap doors to provide an electronic signal when a trap door shuts, allowing remote monitoring on a daily basis. In addition, we will inspect all traps visually every 2 days to ensure that traps and remote transmitters are functioning properly. We will immobilize captured wolverines using a jab stick with a 0.8-ml dose of Capture All, a Medetomidine-Ketamine solution (Copeland et al 2007). We will weigh, measure, and collect genetic samples (blood and hair) from all study animals. We will monitor respiration and body temperature throughout processing. We will collar wolverines with GPS collars to monitor broad-scale movements. Collars are programmed to drop off automatically via a release mechanism on the collar. We will return study animals to the trap after processing to be released after recovering from drug effects. Grizzly bears will be captured with Aldrich foot snares and specially designed aluminum culvert traps. Traps are checked every 24 hours at a minimum or more frequently when environmental conditions dictate. Once a bear is captured, it is anesthetized with Ketamine, Xylazine, Telazol or a combination of these agents. The size, species, and disposition of the bear determine how the drug regime. Drugs are delivered by jab-stick, blow-gun, air-pistol, or capshur-gun. Bears are anesthetized for 60 to 120 minutes depending on age class and accuracy of weight estimate. All grizzly bears are fitted with GPS radio collars and physiological data are collected: age, weight, sex, genetic samples, etc. Grizzly bears are observed while they recover from the anesthetic until they are mobile and it is no longer safe for research personnel to be in the area. Black bears are typically left at the trap site to recover on their own. This allows research personnel to check remaining trap sites and process other animals. All bears recover in a sternal position at the site, in the shade, away from the public, with their head down slope and eyes covered. After gathering information about the baseline conditions of wolverine and grizzly ecology such as distribution, density, seasonal habitat use patterns, movement patterns, dispersal requirements, and the status of the prey species they depend on; we will assess and project the cumulative impacts on wolverine and grizzly bears of existing and projected human development, transportation route development, and human site developments at 3 scales: site-specific, watershed, and regional. We will also project the impact of climate change on the habitats and foods that wolverine and grizzles depend on in this area. These potential impacts will be measured using biological data on survival, habitat use, movement and dispersal to assess impacts on ecosystem function, integrity, and connectivity.