Recipient Organization
STATE UNIV OF NEW YORK
(N/A)
SYRACUSE,NY 13210
Performing Department
Environmental & Forest Biology
Non Technical Summary
No species is more iconic of the North Woods than Moose (Alces alces), a species tragically lost from much of their eastern range in the United States since the 1800s. In recent decades, moose have recolonized forests as far south as the Adirondack Mountains in NY State and the Berkshires in Massachusetts. But recolonization of their geographic range has coincided with a warming climate, and moose are now living on the edge of their range of thermal tolerance. Steep moose declines in Minnesota and severe outbreaks of winter tick (Dermacenter albipictus) in the eastern US have each been linked to climate change. Wildlife managers are now struggling to identify options to support moose persistence into the future. This year, the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation partnered with ESF's Roosevelt Wild Life Station to determine the current status and future potential for moose in the Adirondacks. Under the direction of Dr. Jacqueline Frair and Dr. Paul Schuette (Roosevelt Post-doctoral Scholar), moose were fitted with GPS-collars, aerial population surveys were completed, and calf production was documented. In collaboration with project partners, samples from collared moose provided the first ever health assessment of live moose in the state. Over the next 4 years the ESF team will work closely with the DEC to determine if the moose population is growing, stable or in decline; estimate the carrying capacity of the Adirondacks to determine moose population potential; identify factors most limiting to moose population growth through their patterns of resource selection, productivity and mortality; and devise an efficient and reliable long-term monitoring plan for moose in the state. This research will frame the first-ever management plan for moose in NY State and provide critical insight into the persistence of this important species along their southern range margins.Awarded Start Date: 1/1/14Sponsor: NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
75%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
25%
Goals / Objectives
Objective 1:Evaluate the current status of moose populations, i.e. distribution and abundance, within NY State.Objective 2:Estimate current moose population growth rate with minimum of 3 years of population estimates.Objective 3: Establish efficient long-term plan for tracking population trend by relating hunter sighting logs of moose to actual population estimates over a 5-10 year period (and using correlation of two thereafter).Objective 4:Quantify population vital rates, i.e. survival and fecundity, and identify influential factors (e.g., local density, habitat conditions, overlap with white-tailed deer) to understand adult and juvenile contributions to population growth and identify potentially limiting factors.Objective 5:Evaluate moose habitat selection from diet to landcover/thermal cover to identify potentially limiting factors and estimate potential carrying capacity for moose in NY State to help set population management targets.
Project Methods
Winter aerial surveys will be undertaken to estimate moose population size, repeated annually to estimate population growth rate.GPS-collared animals will provide data on annual fecundity and survival, resource selection, movements and sightability in combination with aerial surveys.Field assessment of plant nutritional quality and abundance will be used to estimate the habitat carrying capacity for moose.