STATUS, DISTRIBUTION, AND ECOLOGY OF BLACK BEARS IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: TERMINATED
• Funding Source: MCINTIRE-STENNIS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1006569
• Project No.: OKL03009
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2015
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2020

Project Director
Fairbanks, SU.

Recipient Organization
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
STILLWATER,OK 74078

Performing Department
Natural Resource Ecology & Management

Non Technical Summary
Black bears (Ursus americanus) disappeared from Oklahoma in the early 1900's, but began moving back into the eastern part of the state from Arkansas in the 1990's. Eastern Oklahoma now has two black bear populations; one in the Ouachita Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma and one in the Ozarks region of east-central Oklahoma. The Ouachita Mountain population has been in existence the longest and supports an annual bear harvest in the counties of Latimer, LeFlore, McCurtain, and Pushmataha. The Ozark population is more recent, smaller, and more sparsely distributed, and is not currently hunted. As a top consumer with a highly varied diet, black bears likely played important roles in the forests of Oklahoma prior to their disappearance. However, the species is moving back into a landscape that is now heavily dominated by humans and different land uses.To manage the black bear populations in Oklahoma, it will be necessary to understand their population growth rates, population responses to hunting, habitat relationships, and factors that promote or discourage conflicts between bears and humans. Capture-mark-recapture methods will be used to estimate population size in the Ouachita Mountains, but because of their smaller numbers and sparser distribution, we will use genetic methods, based on hair samples obtained from a grid of hair snares, to estimate population size of the Oklahoma Ozark population. Mortality rates of 1-20 year old bears will be determined by remotely tracking animals fitted with GPS collars. GPS-collared females will be tracked to their dens during hibernation, when cubs are born, to assess reproductive rates. Den visits in subsequent years will reveal cub survival because yearlings hibernate with their mothers one last time. We will use scat analysis to assess foods eaten by the bears in different months, and stable isotope methods with hair samples to determine the proportion of an individual bear's diet comes from human-associated foods (primarily corn-based) vs. native foods. We will also design an apparatus (which will be tested with bears in the Tulsa zoo) to conduct a field experiment of food preferences, native vs. human-associated food, of wild black bears. Finally, detailed studies of food production (fruits, berries, grasses, insects, acorns and nuts) in burned and/or thinned areas of different ages in the Ouachita National Forest will be conducted, and compared to seasonal habitat use and movements of black bears.The results of our study will inform management of Oklahoma's black bear populations, as well as neighboring states, and begin to develop practices that will help to reduce bear-human conflict while maintaining healthy populations of black bears in eastern Oklahoma. In particular, our results will help the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation set regulations for current and future black bear hunting seasons. The research also provides numerous opportunities for outreach to public schools, landowners, and other groups in Oklahoma.

Animal Health Component

0%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

40%

Applied

60%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
135	0899	1070	100%

Knowledge Area
135 - Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife;

Subject Of Investigation
0899 - Wildlife and natural fisheries, general/other;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;

Keywords

black bear

ursus americanus

population growth

population demographics

hunting

foraging ecology

habitat relationships

prescribed burning

forest management

food preferences

giving up density

stable isotopes

human-wildlife conflict

genetic population estimation

capture-recapture

soft mast production

hard mast production

food habits

oklahoma

ouachita mountains

ozark mountains

Goals / Objectives
The overall objective of this research is to provide information on the recently re-established black bear populations in Oklahoma that will provide a scientific basis for their management and contribute to a broader understanding of the ecological and anthropogenic effects on black bear populations. Specific objectives are: 1) to estimate demographic parameters of the southeast Oklahoma black bear population 6+ years after initiation of an annual hunt and collect baseline demographic data for the newly colonizing bear population in the Ozark region of Oklahoma; 2) to assess impacts over time of prescribed burning and thinning for forest management on production of foods, movements and home range shifts of bears in southeast Oklahoma; and 3) to investigate use and importance of anthropogenic food sources by black bears in relation to native food sources.

Project Methods
Population Size and Demography: In the Ouachita Mountains, we will use a capture-recapture method to estimate size of the black bear population, using the same traplines used in the initial black bear study (Bales et al. 2005) for comparison to population demographics prior to hunting. In addition, traplines outside the Ouachita National Forest will be established to provide a population estimate. Bucket snares will be used to capture bears, with occasional use of barrel or culvert traps. Age structure and sex ratio will be determined based on captured bears. A proportion of the bears captured will be given G2110E Iridium/GPS Location Collars programmed to take fixes every 7 hours. The collars will also contain a VHF beacon for tracking to den sites, a mortality sensor, and a remote break-off mechanism. Bears will be tagged with a standard livestock ear tag, & ear tissue, a blood sample, & hair will be collected for genetic, disease, and stable isotope studies.At the Ozark study area, the bear population is smaller & less dense. Therefore, in addition to capturing and marking the bears as above (but using primarily barrel and culvert traps), we will also use genetic methods for capture-recapture estimation of population size.DNA from bear hair follicles, will be extracted & individual bears identified using ~15 microsatellites developed and used previously with black bears from the Ozark and Ouachita regions. New statistical methods allow the use of the Lincoln-Petersen estimator with modification for multiple sources of data. The ability to increase the number of captures and recaptures by using multiple data sources will increase the reliability of population estimates.GPS-collared bears will be tracked to their hibernacula during winter to check, assess reproduction, & check survival of previous year's cubs. Females with cubs will be chemically immobilized & cubs will be weighed and measured, and sex will be determined. Because they are too small to apply eartags, each cub will have a microchip inserted under the skin above the shoulders. Number and identity of yearlings denning with their mother will be recorded to assess survival of cubs born the previous year. Survival of all radio-collared bears will be monitored throughout the year as an estimate of age-specific survival.Prescribed Burning, Food Production, and Habitat Use by Black Bears: We will establish four 200-m transects in each of 12 different patches in the Ouachita National Forest representing different burn ages. For this study, burns > 5 years are lumped together as most food-producing species important to bears will peak in productivity within 5 years of the burn. Starting points for transects were randomly generated, but were constrained to be >100 m from roads, trails, and other human structures. Five permanent plots, at 50-m intervals, will be marked on each transect with rebar. Soft mast surveys will be conducted monthly from May-August 2014-2016 within a 3-m radius circular plot centered on the rebar, recording soft mass species and percent cover, and estimating the number of buds, flowers, and/or berries/fruits in the plot. Percent cover of herbaceous vegetation will be estimated within a 1-m2 plot with one corner placed at each rebar post.Sticky traps will be placed on the ground, tied to the rebar post, to investigate type and relative abundance of ants. The traps will be collected and replaced each month. Rocks and logs within 0.5 m on each side of the transect will be lifted to check for ant nests and grubs, replacing the rocks and logs after being checked. Perpendicular distance of ant nests to the transect will be recorded and a small number of ants will be collected in vials to identify species.Hard mast production will be assessed August-December 2014-2016 using our own design for acorn traps that will be hung beneath trees. The traps will be hung from trees and placed high enough off the ground and far enough from the trunk of the tree that a bear cannot reach them. In each burn unit, one seed trap per tree will be placed under five trees in the white oak group, five trees in the red/black oak group, and 5 hickory trees. We will record the canopy area for each tree & hard mast will be collected monthly.Seasonal home ranges & resource selection will be calculated for individual bears. Habitat selection parameters will be investigated. If the forage production analysis with respect to prescribed burns produces an adequately-predictive model, predicted forage production at different locations can also be included as a variable. Seasonal home range shifts will be investigated.Use of Anthropogenic Foods by Black Bears: Black bear scat will be collected on both study areas & analyzed to identify food items. Percent of total weight of scat made up by each food type will be calculated and corrected using biomass correction factors developed for grizzly bears (Hewitt and Robbins 1996).We will assess proportion of the diet composed of anthropogenic foods by individual bears using stable isotope analysis. Hair shafts from captured bears and from hair snare samples will be analyzed. We are interested in the proportion of the bears' diet made up of corn from deer feeders. We will also collect different types of native foods from the Ozark study area & process them for stable isotope analysis for comparison to hair samples.We are developing & testing a novel apparatus to investigate black bear preferences for anthropogenic vs. native foods in a field experiment. Giving up density methods have been used to assess perceived risk in different foraging conditions/habitats and more recently to assess food preferences. These studies have primarily involved small mammals and this technique has not yet been applied to large omnivores. Giving up density (GUD) methods set up a foraging situation with diminishing returns, resulting in the animal leaving the feeding apparatus before depleting all the food it contains (Brown 1988). The amount of food left when the animal departs is the GUD. Higher GUDs suggest the animal perceived higher risk in remaining to forage longer at the feeder. To investigate forage preferences, we will present pairs of feeders, one containing deer corn and the other containing a native food type. The feeder with the lowest GUD suggests that the bear was willing to work longer to extract more of the type of food it contained, exhibiting a preference for that food type. We are collaborating with the Tulsa Zoo to find a durable feeder and develop methodology with zoo bears before beginning the field experimental study with wild black bears. We have had great success in creating a situation of diminishing returns that the zoo bears have not destroyed. Our apparatus consists of a horse treat-dispensing toy. We drilled five 4-cm holes in the 'cap' end of the plastic container. To standardize the amount of food reward, the food is placed in large gelatin capsules. Larger, empty gel capsules that cannot fit through the drilled holes are placed in the feeder with the food-containing capsules to increase the difficulty of obtaining a food reward & ensure diminishing returns. Field trials with wild black bears will consist of hanging two feeders by cables or chains from sturdy tree branches or metal poles in areas of high use by individual GPS-collared black bears. The two feeders will be within 4 m of each other, one containing deer corn, the other containing acorns or dehydrated berries/fruit in the smaller gel capsules. Wildlife cameras will be set to record activity. Following visitation by a bear, the number of remaining food capsules in each feeder will be counted. Trials will be conducted in different seasons to investigate seasonal changes in preference.

Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation biologists and managers; professional wildlife ecologists and mammalogists nationwide; wildlife, behavior, ecology, and human dimensions research scientists nationwide and internationally; residents/landowners in eastern Oklahoma; local schools and organizations. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Four M.S. students and one Ph.D. student have completed their theses and dissertation in association with this project. We trained 18 undergraduate and recently graduated students from OSU and other institutions in methods of black bear capture, blood draw from bears, skin scrapings for mites, radio-tracking, and other field methods. The graduate students also received training in data analysis, GIS, and scientific writing. One undergraduate student completed an Honors Research project associated with this project and has presented the results of her work at scientific meetings and symposia. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The PI, graduate students, and undergraduates presented research findings over the years at the Oklahoma Natural Resources Conferences, Annual Meetings of the Central Plains Society of Mammalogists, Annual Conferences of The Wildlife Society, Annual Meetings of the American Society of Mammalogists, the Cooperators Meetings of the Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Annual Meetings of the Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Four publications from this research are found in The Wildlife Society Bulletin, Journal of Wildlife Diseases, Parasitology Research, Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science, and 2 revised manuscripts are pending acceptance for The Journal of Wildlife Management, and one revised manuscript is pending acceptance in the Journal of Environmental Management. Additional manuscripts are in preparation. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This project has been completed.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Southeast Oklahoma black bear study area: Objective 1: We replicated a demographic study from 2001-2003 based on capture-recapture methods of a newly recolonized black bear population in the Ouachita National Forest in SE Oklahoma. Our study compared demography after 6 years of an annual bear harvest to the pre-harvest 2003 demography. Our results indicated that population growth slowed following the initiation of a hunting season, but that the black bear population is still growing. Expansion of trapping outside the core area of the population resulted in a population estimate of about 1300 black bears in SE Oklahoma. Knowledge gained was used to expand bear harvest beyond the original 4 counties. Objective 2: A study of the effects of prescribed fire over time on forage species used by black bears, their movements, and home range shifts revealed that berry/fruit-producing woody species varied greatly in response to time since burn, however, bears did not appear to adjust home ranges in response to these changes in berry/fruit abundance. Instead, bears appeared to adapt their foraging to whatever foods were available in their home range. The most obvious movements of black bears were to higher elevations/ridgetops in autumn, when acorn crops were abundant. Knowledge gained that black bears did not appear to be negatively impacted by the timing of spring prescribed burns and that burning caused bears to adjust their diets rather than their home range is used in the management of the Ouachita National Forest in its burn plan. Objective 3: Bear scat (N=69) analysis indicated that bears in SE Oklahoma consume primarily vegetation April-August. Anthropogenic corn occurred in only 17% of scat and other anthropogenic foods in 9%. Mammal hair (other than bear) occurred in 14% with deer hair accounting for 9 of the 11. Insects occurred in 46% of scat. Blackberries and blueberries were the most frequent vegetative components of the diet. These data serve as baseline data to compare to black bear diet in the east-central Oklahoma black bear project, and for future comparison to detect shifts in the diet that come about due to climate change, which is relevant to hibernation behavior and all aspects of black bear ecology. East-central Oklahoma (Ozark) black bear study area: Objective 1: This study area differs from the southeastern Oklahoma study area in that it has higher human density, less public land, different land uses, and individual private land holdings are much smaller. Recolonization of this area by black bears began more recently than in southeastern Oklahoma. We used both standard capture-recapture and genetic capture-recapture to assess population demography and growth in this population. Two-thirds of the population were male and the median age for both males and females was 3 years of age. Projection matrix models indicated that the population was not self-sustaining based on reproduction alone. Presentation of our findings to the Oklahoma Wildlife Commission resulted in the Commission delaying initiation of a bear hunting season in this area until the population was more established. Their decision was further supported when we completed a human dimensions study comparing attitudes and behavior toward black bears in northeastern, east-central, and southeastern Oklahoma and it appeared that acceptance capacity for a black bear population in all three regions was higher than the current perceived black bear populations. A study of resource selection and tolerance of habitat fragmentation by black bears identified nearby patches of suitable habitat for black bears, and while males did not appear to be sensitive to habitat fragmentation, females were significantly more likely to position their home ranges in areas with lower levels of fragmentation than the landscape in general. This knowledge raises the question as to whether females will disperse across fragmented habitats to colonize these other areas, and therefore, whether a self-sustaining population is possible in this area. New research will focus on factors affecting fine-scale movement and dispersal paths to predict areas that might be naturally colonized and contribute to a viable population of black bears in east-central Oklahoma. Objective 3: Bear scat (N=26) collected April-October indicated much greater use of anthropogenic foods (61% of scat samples), predominantly corn, than in the southeastern study area. The frequency of insects in the scat (61%) was also greater in the east-central population, in which the occurrence of deer hair (11%) was similar. Blackberries were the most frequent component of the bear diets during the summer season. We developed an apparatus to use Giving Up Density methods to assess preferences of black bears for native vs. non-native (corn) foods. Our paired feeders required equal effort to extract gel capsules with acorns in one feeder, or gel capsules with an equal caloric amount of deer corn in the other feeder, in early summer. In late summer, the bears could choose between feeders with capsules containing blueberries vs. feeders with capsuled containing corn; in fall they could choose between fresh acorns and corn. In both early and late summer bears spent more time and extracted more capsules containing corn than containing native foods. In fall, acorns were plentiful everywhere and bears spent very little time at the pair feeders, extracted very few capsules, and there was no difference between corn and acorn capsules extracted. These results suggest that bears are likely to use corn in deer (and other wildlife) feeders in summer regardless of the availability of native foods and that hunters would have reduced damage to their deer feeders (the major source of wildlife-human conflict in Oklahoma) if they put the feeders out after acorns become available to bears.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Dotterweich, C., W.S. Fairbanks, and S. Lyda. 2020. Capture success of American black bears (Ursus americanus) in southeastern Oklahoma utilizing bucket snares. Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, February 2020, Norman, OK.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Childress, W., S. Lyda, and W.S. Fairbanks. 2020. Modifying an existing trap design to increase efficiency and safety of catching American black bear. Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, February 2020, Norman, OK.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Scimeca, R.C., E. Perez, W.S. Fairbanks, S. Ammar, C. Su, R.W. Gerhold, and M.V. Reichard. 2020. Seroprevalence, DNA isolation, and genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from black bears (Ursus americanus) sera collected in Eastern Oklahoma. Parasitology Research 119:1109-1115. doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06535-z.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Fairbanks, W.S., M. Cleary, and O. Joshi. 2020. Final Report: Human dimensions and social carrying capacity for black bears in eastern Oklahoma. Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes theOklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation biologists and managers; professional wildlife ecologists and mammalogists nationwide; wildlife, behavior, ecology, and human dimensions research scientists nationwide and internationally; residents/landowners in eastern Oklahoma; local schools and organizations. Changes/Problems:We will continue to work with the Arkansas Game and Fish Department, ODWC, OSU College of Veterinary Health Sciences and collaborators in other states and institutions to assess the potential problem with sarcoptic mange in our population and potential management actions to decrease its spread. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One M.S. student completed his thesis in association with this project. One Ph.D. student began her graduate program associated with this project. We trained 4 undergraduate and recently graduated students from OSU and other institutions in methods of black bear capture, blood draw from bears, skin scrapings for mites, radio-tracking, and other field methods. The graduate students are also receiving training in data analysis, GIS, and scientific writing. Previous graduate students are continuing to write manuscripts for publication, with 2 currently in review and revision. One undergraduate student completed an Honors Research project associated with this project and has presented the results of her work at scientific meetings and symposia. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The PI and graduate students presented research findings at the Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, Annual Meeting of the Central Plains Society of Mammalogists, Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society in Reno, NV, the Cooperators Meeting of the Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and the Annual Meeting of the Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. The results of the human dimensions project will be presented to a meeting of the Oklahoma Wildlife Commission in early December. One manuscript is in review, one is in revision and a third is nearing submission. The PI gave presentations to 2 local civic groups on the black bear research, and to a local high school biology class. Black bear research continued in the southeastern and east-central Oklahoma black bear populations under Federal Aid Project F18AF00311. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Work will continue on the study of factors affecting movements of young male and female black bears during dispersal to better determine how habitat fragmentation and human disturbance might influence the establishment of a self-sustaining black bear population in east-central Oklahoma and to better predict future use of currently vacant black bear habitat. We will also continue to monitor the frequency and location of black bears with sarcoptic mange in both black bear populations in eastern Oklahoma and collaborate with researchers in other states and institutions who are addressing this relatively new threat to black bears. In SE Oklahoma black bear population, we will begin research on spatial ecology using spatial capture-recapture techniques to better understand and predict the spread and continuous densities of black bears in the southeastern population.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Southeast Oklahoma black bear study area: 1) new traplines were established outside the core area of the SEOklahomablack bear population to facilitate a spatial capture-recapture study that will provide, both an improved population estimate for the expanding population and reveal differences in bear density across the landscape, and 2) a new Ph.D. student began her program in August, concerning spatial ecology of the SE Oklahoma black bear population. East-central Oklahoma black bear study area: 1) new traplines were established outside the core area of this population with the aim of assessing rate of immigration of black bears into Oklahoma from Arkansas, and 2) we began capturing and collaring yearling black bears, primarily in winter dens, to study fine-scale movements, and the landscape and anthropogenic factors that affect it, by dispersing black bears. Human dimensions study: 1) an M.S. thesis associated with this project was completed, with some of the primary findings including 2) contrary to our hypothesis, attitudes, beliefs, and behavior towards black bears did not differ significantly among SE Oklahoma, East-Central Oklahoma, and NE Oklahoma, which represent a gradient from high black bear abundance to only transient black bears, 3) attitudes toward black bears in eastern OK are quite positive, 4) eastern OK residents primarily underestimated the abundance of black bears in their area based on level of human-black bear interaction but tended to prefer a larger population of black bears than what they perceived was present, 5) gender was one of the strongest factors affecting acceptance for black bears with women having much lower acceptance than men.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Cleary, M., W.S. Fairbanks, and O. Joshi. 2019. Human dimensions of black bear management in eastern Oklahoma: an assessment of cognitive hierarchy components, risk perceptions, and population tolerances. Annual Meeting of The Wildlife Society, October 2019, Reno, NV.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Cleary, M., O. Joshi, and W.S. Fairbanks. 2019. The human dimensions of black bear (Ursus americanus) management in eastern Oklahoma. 2019 Coordinating Committee Meeting of the Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, July 2019, Stillwater, OK.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Cleary, M., O. Joshi, and W.S. Fairbanks. 2019. Human dimensions of black bear (Ursus americanus) management in eastern Oklahoma: an assessment of human values, attitudes, behaviors and population tolerances. Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, February 2019, Tulsa, OK
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Childress, W., W.S. Fairbanks, S. Lyda, and K. Niedringhaus. 2019. Poster: Mapping the distribution of the sarcoptic mange mite (Sarcoptes scabeie) in black bear (Ursus americanus) populations across the United States. Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, February 2019, Tulsa, OK.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Prentiss, N., and W.S. Fairbanks. 2019. Poster: Giving up density as an indicator of black bear (Ursus americanus) food preference in the Ouachita National Forest, Oklahoma. Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, February 2019, Tulsa, OK.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Niedringhaus, K.S., J.D. Brown, M. Ternent, W. Childress, J.R. Gettings, and M.J. Yabsley. 2019. The emergence and expansion of sarcoptic mange in American black bears (Ursus americanus) in the United States. Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports 17 (2019):100303.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Cleary, M. 2019. Analyses of the psychological and demographic factors affecting acceptance capacity for American black bears in eastern Oklahoma. M.S. Thesis, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK.

Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for the study includes Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation biologists and managers; professional wildlife ecologists and mammalogists nationwide; wildlife, behavior, and ecology research scientists nationwide and internationally; residents/landowners in eastern Oklahoma; local schools and organizations. Changes/Problems:We will work with the Arkansas Game and Fish Department, ODWC, OSU College of Veterinary Health Sciences and collaborators in other states and institutions to assess the potential problem with sarcoptic mange in our population and potential management actions to decrease its spread. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two M.S. students completed their theses in association with this project. One Ph.D. student began his graduate program associated with this project, and 1 M.S. student continued her research in association with the project. We trained 6 undergraduate and recently graduated students from OSU and other institutions in methods of black bear capture, blood draw from bears, radio-tracking, and other field methods. The graduate students are also receiving training in data analysis, GIS, and scientific writing, and one student completed a weekend workshop on Chemical Immobilization of Animals. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The PI and graduate students presented research findings at the Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, Central Plains Society of Mammalogists, National Veterinary Scholars Symposium, and the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists. Two manuscripts were accepted for publication in the Wildlife Society Bulletin and the Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science, and 2 additional publications are nearing submission. The PI presented an overview of the Oklahoma Black Bear Research at the Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Cooperators Meeting. A slide presentation from the Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference addressing resource selection by the east-central black bear population was requested and provided to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC). A Final Report was submitted to the ODWC for Federal Aid Project F14AF00251 and an annual report was submitted for the human dimensions Federal Aid Project F17AF00264. Black bear research continued in the southeastern and east-central Oklahoma black bear populations under Federal Aid Project F18AF00311. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The study of human dimensions and social carrying capacity for black bears in eastern Oklahoma will be completed. Work will begin on study of factors affecting movements of young male and female black bears during dispersal to better determine how habitat fragmentation and human disturbance might influence the establishment of a self-sustaining black bear population in east-central Oklahoma, and to better predict future use of currently vacant black bear habitat. In addition, one of our bears in the east-central population presented with sarcoptic mange, and we learned that at least 3 black bears in the same population in Arkansas were put down due to sarcoptic mange. During black bear captures over the next year, assess presence of sarcoptic mites and determine the frequency and distribution of sarcoptic infections in the study area. A new PhD student will be recruited to begin research on spatial ecology using spatial capture-recapture techniques to better understand and predict the spread and continuous densities of black bears in the southeastern population.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1) We estimated the population size of black bears in the expanded trapping area across southeastern Oklahoma (Latimer, LeFlore, McCurtain, and Pushmataha Counties) to be between 1200 and 1300 bears. 2) The estimated asymptotic growth rate in the southeastern Oklahoma population was 1.06 (compared to 1.14 (Bales 2003) calculated before a hunting season was established in this population in 2009), suggesting that the black bear population in this part of the state is capable of supporting a sustained hunt at current harvest levels. 3) More than 33% of the black bears in the east-central Oklahoma population are male, and cub production (at birth) continues to be male-biased in this population. 4) Resource selection functions calculated for black bears in the east-central Oklahoma population indicated that black bears selected areas of higher elevation and terrain ruggedness, at greater distances from the road and avoided areas of higher human population density at the study area scale. They selected riparian forest and moist oak forest most strongly. At the home range scale, black bears selected riparian forest and moist oak forests, higher elevations, greater distances from roads, and areas of lower human density in summer. The same variables best-described resource selection within autumn home ranges except elevation was replaced by the use of areas of greater ruggedness. Resource selection did not differ significantly between males and females. 4) In the east-central population, female black bears were significantly more sensitive to habitat fragmentation than male black bears. 5) The survey to assess human dimensions and social carrying capacity for black bears was developed, approved, and mailed to 4500 residents in three geographic/demographic areas in eastern Oklahoma - northeastern, east-central, and southeastern. 6) Two M.S. theses were completed.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Schwartz, K., A. Jackson, S. Fairbanks, and M. Reichard. 2018. Internal parasite loads of wild black bears (Ursus americanus) via fecal testing. National Veterinary Scholars Symposium, August 2018, College Station, TX.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Scimeca, R.C., E.L. Perez, W.S. Fairbanks, S. Ammar, C. Su, R.W. Gerhold, and M.V. Reichard. 2018. Seroprevalence, DNA isolation, and genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from black bear (Ursus americanus) sera collected in eastern Oklahoma. Annual Meeting of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists, July 2018, Denver, CO
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Lustig, E., W.S. Fairbanks, and S. Lyda. 2017. Resource selection and home range analysis of the American black bear (Ursus americanus) in the Ozark Mountains of east-central Oklahoma. Central Plains Society of Mammalogists Annual Meeting, October 2017, Dubuque, IA.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Elliot, E. 2018. American black bear ecology in the Oklahoma Ozarks: home range estimation, fragmentation analysis, and resource selection. M.S. Thesis, Oklahoma State University.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Perez, E. 2018. Population dynamics and infectious disease seroprevalence in American black bears of southeastern Oklahoma. M.S. Thesis, Oklahoma State University.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Fairbanks, W.S., and S.B. Lyda. 2018. Final Report: Reevaluation of the status and distribution of black bears in southeastern Oklahoma. Project No. F14AF00251, Submitted to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Perez, E., S. Fairbanks, and M. Pfander. 2018. Demographic trends of a reestablished American black bear (Ursus americanus) population under harvest pressures in southeastern Oklahoma. Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, February 2018, Tulsa, OK.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Lustig, E., S. Fairbanks, and S. Lyda. 2018. Resource selection and home range analysis of the American black bear in the Ozark Mountains of east-central Oklahoma. Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, February 2018, Tulsa, OK.

Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation biologists and managers; professional wildlife ecologists and mammalogists nationwide; wildlife, behavior, and ecology research scientists nationwide and internationally; residents/landowners in eastern Oklahoma; local schools and organizations. Changes/Problems:During the next reporting period, IRB protocol for the human dimensions study will be submitted. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One Ph.D. student completed her dissertation in association with this project. Two M.S. students continued their research in association with the project, and a new M.S. student began research on the project with a new grant from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. We trained 2 OSU undergraduate students, 2 students from other institutions, and 1 recent OSU graduate in methods of black bear capture, habitat measurements, blood draw from bears and other field methods. The graduate students are also receiving training in data analysis, GIS, and scientific writing. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The PI and graduate students presented research findings at the Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, Central Plains Society of Mammalogists, and The Wildlife Society Annual Conference. Two manuscripts are in revision, and one manuscript was published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases. The PI and research associate presented a Science Café program sponsored by the OSU Chapter of Sigma Xi, attended by faculty, staff, and the general public. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Study of resource selection by the east-central black bear population will be completed, including an investigation of the impacts of fragmentation on bear use of space in this more-populated (human) study area. Population size and structure estimates of the expanding se bear population will be accomplished, along with baseline data on seroprevalence of economically important pathogens in black bears in eastern Oklahoma. We are also beginning a new, funded project on human dimensions regarding black bears. Having provided evidence that the east-central bear population is not yet capable of sustaining a harvest, we will use this new study to assess the "cultural carrying capacity" for black bears in the area, i.e., what bear density/population size is acceptable to local residents?

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1) We expanded area of capture-recapture to include areas outside the core black bear population in each of the study areas. This will allow us to more accurately estimate population sizes and growth rates for the 2 populations in eastern Oklahoma. 2) Improvements to deploying the bucket snares in the se population, suggested by previous year's study of trap efficiency, resulted in safer capture for black bears and less by-catch of raccoons. 3) Results of resource selection by black bears at the landscape scale revealed that bears selected evergreen forests at higher elevations with greater canopy cover. Bears selected areas in all burn age categories over unburned control areas, but were more likely to use areas with a mean fire return interval > 5 years. Within their home ranges in summer, bears selected deciduous forests, grassland/herbaceous areas and shrub/scrub classes at higher elevations and greater canopy cover. The effect of burn age (time since burn) depended on year. In the relatively wet year of 2016, black bears were more likely to use more recent burn areas than in 2014. In autumn, bears selected deciduous and mixed forests at higher elevations within their home ranges. Use of burns of different ages again depended on year, but in autumn, bears were less likely to use burned areas in 2016. 4) 1 Ph.D. dissertation was completed.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Lustig, E., W.S. Fairbanks and S. Lyda. 2017. Resource selection and home range analysis of the American black bear in the Ozark Mountains of east-central Oklahoma. The Wildlife Society Annual Conference, Albuquerque, NM. September.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Perez, E., W.S. Fairbanks and M Pfander. 2017. Population dynamics of a recolonizing American black bear population under hunting pressures in southeastern Oklahoma. The Wildlife Society Annual Conference, Albuquerque, NM. September.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Lustig, E., W.S. Fairbanks and S. Lyda. 2017. Resource selection and home range analysis of the American black bear (Ursus americanus) in the Ozark Mountains of east-central Oklahoma. Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, Tulsa, OK.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Yaklin, D. and W.S. Fairbanks. 2017. Black bear (Ursus americanus) use of prescribed burn units in the Ouachita National Forest in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, Tulsa, OK.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Perez, E., W.S. Fairbanks and M.Pfander. 2017. Population status of the American black bear (Ursus americanus) in southeast Oklahoma. Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, Tulsa, OK.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Pfander, M. and W.S. Fairbanks (presenter). 2017. Trap success and sample heterogeneity using bucket snares to capture American black bears in southeast Oklahoma. Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, Tulsa, OK.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Perez, E., M. Pfander and W.S. Fairbanks. 2016. Population status of the American black bears (Ursus americanus) in the Ouachita National Forest of Oklahoma. Central Plains Society of Mammalogists Annual Meeting, Emporia, KS.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Yaklin, D. and W.S. Fairbanks. 2016. Recovery of bear forage items after prescribed fire in the Ouachita National Forest of Oklahoma. Central Plains Society of Mammalogists Annual Meeting, Emporia, KS.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Techentin, D. and W.S. Fairbanks. 2016. Potentially suitable environments for westward expansion of black bears in Oklahoma. American Society of Mammalogists Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Skinner, D., J. Mitcham, L. Starkey, B. Noden, S. Fairbanks and S. Little. 2017. Prevalence of Babesia spp., Ehrlichia spp., and tick infestations in Oklahoma black bears (Ursus americanus). Journal of Wildlife Diseases 53:781-787.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Yaklin, D. 2017. Effects of prescribed fire for forest management on black bears and food availability in the U.S. interior highlands. Ph.D. Dissertation, Oklahoma State University.

Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation biologists and managers; professional wildlife ecologists and mammalogists nationwide; wildlife, behavior, and ecology research scientists nationwide and internationally; residents/landowners in eastern Oklahoma; local schools and organizations Changes/Problems:A new human dimensions study will be added; IRB protocol will submitted for approval. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two M.S. students completed their degrees in conjunction with this research and both obtained permanent jobs in wildlife biology within 2 months of graduation. One Ph.D. student is continuing her work on this project, and 2 new M.S. students have begun work on parts of this project. We trained 4 OSU undergraduate students and 2 recent graduates (1 from OSU) in methods of black bear capture, habitat measurements, blood draw from bears and field experimental methods. Two students completed a course in Chemical Immobilization of Animals. The graduate students are also receiving training in data analysis, GIS, and scientific writing. One pre-service science teacher also conducted a research project. The pre-service science teacher and the graduate students all presented findings of their research at university, state, and/or international science venues including, Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, American Society of Mammalogists, Gordon Research Conference: Predator-Prey Interactions. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In addition to scientific venues listed immediately above, results of the research were presented to our collaborators at Tulsa Zoo and as a Departmental Seminar for the OSU Department of Integrative Biology. An activity based on the research was developed and conducted at Sierra Club's Nature Camp for children aged 6-12 in Stillwater, OK. Several television spots and press releases covering the research went out to Oklahoma residents. Monthly progress reports and annual/final reports are written for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The Ph.D. student is analyzing data, will write, and defend her dissertation in the next reporting period. We will continue working toward publication of results from 2 previous M.S. students and the Ph.D student. Capture and marking of black bears on the expanded lines will continue next summer and den checks to assess reproduction will continue, allowing assessment of demographics outside the core area of the southeast bear population. Assessment of disease prevalence in OK bears will continue in both the core and peripheral ranges. Using a 6-year data set from GPS satellite collars on bears in east-central OK, we will assess habitat selection by the bears with specific reference to habitat fragmentation and human development/activity. A new study of human dimensions, involving a new grant and M.S. student, will address human awareness, values, attitudes, and behaviors toward black bears in eastern Oklahoma will be initiated, with special emphasis on identifying social acceptance capacity of black bears.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1) We identified a high rate of reproduction in the southeast black bear population in its core area and determined that this population is growing, even after initiation of a popular bear hunting season in the area; 2) The bucket snare was a highly effective capture method, but sex, weight, and previous capture affected likelihood of a successful capture (unmarked, heavier males more likely to be captured when handling the trap). Suggestions for modifications to improve the safety of the traps were made; 3) The final summer field season on effects of prescribed fire on production of foods used by black bears was conducted and analysis is ongoing; 4) Ecological niche models were developed for each study area, and then combined to assess locations of suitable bear habitat across the state of Oklahoma; 5) A population matrix model based on demographic data from both capture and genetic methods in the east-central black bear population indicated that the population was not yet self-sustaining without continued influx of bears from Arkansas, and would not withstand a hunting season, at this time. The sex ratio was still heavily male-biased, with a low age structure, and harvest of a reproductive aged female would delay establishment of this population. These results prompted the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to propose a human dimensions study in eastern Oklahoma to assess the social acceptance capacity for black bears. This study is in the proposal stage in our lab; 6) Isotope studies to determine proportion of individual bear diets comprised of "deer" corn are ongoing; 7) 2 M.S. theses were completed and 4 manuscripts are being developed for submission to professional journals (1 of the 4 is under revision).

Publications

• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Pfander, M. A. 2016. American black bear ecology in southeastern Oklahoma: population status and capture methodology. Oklahoma State University, M.S. Thesis.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Lyda, S. B., D. M. Leslie, Jr., and W. S. Fairbanks. 2016. Final Report: Status and distribution of black Bears in east-central and northeastern Oklahoma. Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Techintin, D. and S. Fairbanks. 2016. Potentially suitable environments for westward expansion of black bears in Oklahoma. American Society of Mammalogists Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Artz, E., S. Lyda. S. Fairbanks. 2016. An overview of genetic mark-recapture population estimates in Ozark region black bears. Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, Oklahoma City, OK.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Pfander, M. and S. Fairbanks. 2016. Population status of American black bears in southeast Oklahoma after 7 years of harvest. Oklahoma Natural Resources Conference, Oklahoma City, OK.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Artz, E., S. Fairbanks, S. Lyda. 2016. Using a novel experimental technique to examine dietary preference in a recolonizing population of black bears. Gordon Research Conference: Predator-prey interactions, Ventura, CA.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Artz, E. J. 2016. Genetic mark-recapture abundance estimate and dietary preferences in a recently re-established American black bear population. Oklahoma State University, M.S. Thesis.