1. society

Alaska Chapter of the Wildlife Society
Annual Meeting
and
Northern Furbearer Conference
JUNEAU, ALASKA
13-17 April 2015
photo by Jamie Jones, USGS
photo by Andrew Hope, USGS
photo by Rachel Richardson, USGS
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
Organization: Scott Brainerd, Grant Hilderbrand, Jerry Hupp, Matthew Sexson, Kevin White,
Dave Gregovich, Jamie Womble, Anthony Crupi, Doug Larsen, Dan Thompson, Howard
Golden
Program: Scott Brainerd, Grant Hilderbrand, Kevin White, Jamie Womble, Howard Golden,
Tania Lewis
Logistics: Kevin White, Dave Gregovich, Jamie Womble, Anthony Crupi, Doug Larsen
Website and Registration: Dan Thompson and Liz Solomon
Awards: Kevin White, Tom Paragi, Layne Adams, and Dave Yokel
Northern Furbearer Conference and Workshop: Howard Golden, Kevin Colson, Tom Jung,
Kerry Nicholson, Ramona Maraj, Laura Prugh, Rod Flynn, Ryan Scott, Todd Rinaldi, Tony
Carnahan, David Saalfeld, and Michael Harrington
Cover and Program Design: Mary Whalen
Cover Photos: Lisa Hupp, Brian Uher-Koch, Gary Drew, Matt Sexson, Eemeli Haverinen, Layne
Adams and Kristine Sowl.
Juneau area.
Map to Juneau Arts and Culture Center (JACC) and the Hangar Ballroom in downtown Juneau.
Please thank our generous supporters.
Juneau Arts and Culture Center.
Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Conference-at-a-Glance
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Time
8:30-10:30am
10:00am
10:30-10:45am
10:45am12:00pm
12:00-1:30pm
Pre-conference Field
Trip: Mendenhall Glacier
Natural History Hike
1:30-2:30pm
2:30-2:45pm
2:45-4:00pm
4:00-4:15pm
4:30pm
4
Hangar Ballroom,
Downtown Juneau
4:15-5:00pm
TWS workshop: Building Resource Selection Function Models from Start to Finish
Time
Mendenhall Glacier,
West Glacier Trailhead
Monday, April 13, 2015
RSF modelling overview, and inputs
to the RSF model
Break
Further defining RSF model inputs
Lunch
Choice of particular RSF
methodology
Break
Implementing RSF models in R using the ‘twostageRSF’ package
Break
Group discussion on RSF implementation
Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Conference-at-a-Glance (continued)
Tuesday, April 13, 2015
Time
Juneau Arts and Culture Center
Wednesday, April 14, 2015
Time
Juneau Arts and Culture Center
8:00-8:10am
Welcome/
announcements
8:10-8:40am
Wini Kessler
8:10-8:30am
Kitty LaBounty
8:30-8:50am
Roman Dial
John Schoen
8:50-9:10am
9:10-9:40am
Doug DeMaster
9:10-9:30am
Break
9:30-9:50am
Dave Albert
9:50-10:20am
10:30-11:00am
11:00am12:00pm
12:00-1:20pm
1:20-1:40pm
1:40-2:00pm
2:00-2:20pm
2:20-2:40pm
10:20-10:40am
Frank Rue
10:40-11:00am
11:00-11:20am
Panel Discussion
11:20-11:40am
Adelaide Johnson
Karen Blejwas
Catherine Rubin*
Break
Andy Baltensperger*
Catherine Pohl
Jeffrey Frederick*
Kevin White
11:40am12:00pm
Kerry Nicholson
Jamie Womble
12:00-1:30pm
Lunch/business meeting
Aren Gunderson
1:30-1:50pm
Matthew Sexson
1:50-2:10pm
Tania Lewis
2:10-2:30pm
Lunch
Landscape and
Population
Genetics
10:00-10:30am
Marine Mammals
and Seabirds
9:40-10:00am
Nexus of Policy and Science
8:40-9:10am
Alpine Ecology and Management
8:00-8:10am
Opening Remarks – Grant
Hilderbrand
Tania Lewis
Kris Hundertmark
Michelle Cason*
2:40-3:00pm
Break
2:30-2:50pm
3:00-3:20pm
Ian Johnson*
2:50-3:20pm
Break
3:20-3:40pm
Gabriela Halas*
3:20-3:40pm
Justin Olnes*
3:40-4:00pm
Todd Brinkman
3:40-4:00pm
Thomas Paragi
4:00-4:20pm
Timothy Fullman
4:00-4:20pm
Kevin Colson
4:20-4:40pm
Taal Levi
4:20-4:40pm
Christopher Brockman*
4:40-5:00pm
Karen Blejwas
4:40-5:00pm
Kimberlee Beckmen
5:00-5:10pm
Wrap up/announcements
5:00-5:10pm
Wrap up & announcements
5:10-6:00pm
Break
6:00-10:00pm
Banquet (at JACC)
6:00-10:00pm
* - student
Poster session and mixer (at JACC)
Jocelyn Colella*
5
Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Northern Furbearer Conference
Time
8:00-9:00am
9:00-9:10am
9:10-9:30am
9:30-9:50am
9:50-10:10am
10:10-10:40am
10:40-11:00am
11:00-11:20am
11:20-11:40am
11:40am12:00pm
12:00-1:30pm
1:30-1:50pm
1:50-2:10pm
2:10-2:30pm
2:30-2:50pm
2:50-3:20pm
3:20-3:40pm
3:40-4:00pm
4:00-4:20pm
4:20-4:30pm
6
Juneau Arts and Culture Center
Registration/Coffee
Welcome & announcements
Matthew Scrafford*
Kelly Sivy*
Carl Koch*
Break
Casey Pozzanghera*
Robert Anderson
Time
8:00-8:10
8:10-9:10
9:10-10:10
10:10-10:30
Tony Carnahan
Howard Golden
Lunch
Jason Waite
Adi Barocas*
Ross Dorendorf*
Lenore Stone
Break
Bridget Borg*
Stephanie Sell
10:30-12:00
12:00-1:30
1:30-3:00
3:00-3:20
Group discussion: Future Northern
Furbearer Conferences
3:20-4:20
Wrap-up & announcements
4:20-5:00
Friday, April 14, 2015
Hangar Ballroom,
Downtown Juneau
Welcome & announcements
General Overview
NFC workshop: Non-invasive techniques for Monitoring
Furbearers and Their Prey
Thursday, April 14, 2015
In-Depth Session 1
Break
In-Depth Session 1
Lunch
In-Depth Session 2
Break
In-Depth Session 2
Synthesis and Recap: Group
Discussion
Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Sunday, April 12
Mendenhall Glacier, West Glacier Trailhead
10:00 am - 4:30 pm: Pre-conference Field Trip: Mendenhall Glacier
Natural History Hike
In conjunction with the Spatial Ecology workshop and the Alpine Ecology special session, we will be coordinating
a 1‐day preconference field trip/hike at the Mendenhall Lake/Glacier. The field trip will focus on the natural history of
alpine and glacial environments and feature local specialists who will lead discussion about regional research activities.
Highlights of the field trip will include 5 mile roundtrip hike along Mendenhall Lake to the Mendenhall Glacier,
examination of a 2000 yr old inter‐stadial forest (recently uncovered by the glacier), up‐close look at the glacier and ice
caves, birdwatching and mountain goat observations.
Discussion topics will include: glaciology, geology, climate change, plant succession, salmon ecology, wildlife ecology
and use of high resolution remote sensing data to model ecological relationships. The field trip is free and participants
do not need to be registered for the conference to attend. The field trip will be casual and participants are welcome to
invite friends and significant others to attend.
Meeting Time and Place: 10:00 AM at the West Glacier Trailhead (located near the Mendenhall Lake Campground) The
hike is moderately strenuous and will begin with an easy walk along the Mendenhall Lake shoreline. As we get closer
to the glacier, some mild rock scrambling will be required as we gain (and then lose) 500 feet in elevation to reach the
glacier. We do not plan to travel on the glacier itself. Because the bedrock can be a little slippery (if wet) and a few short,
ankle‐high stream crossings are required, Xtra tuffs or hiking boots are the footwear of choice. Also, don’t forget your
sack lunch, camera and binoculars (for watching mtn goats or birds!). You are welcome to participate even if you don’t
plan to hike the entire route.
Cost: Free Post‐field trip activities (optional): BBQ at Skater’s Cabin (after the hike); Alaska Folk Festival (Centennial Hall,
Downtown Juneau, 6‐10PM – Free!)
Monday, April 13
Hangar Ballroom, Downtown Juneau
8:30 am - 5:00 pm: TWS workshop: Building Resource Selection Function
Models from Start to Finish
Workshop Organizer: Dave Gregovich
8:30
RSF MODELLING OVERVIEW, AND INPUTS TO THE RSF MODEL
a. What is an RSF analysis?
b. Why perform an RSF analysis?
c. What input data do you need to perform an RSF analysis?
• Animal locations: Current progress in wildlife telemetry technology (Jon Adsem—ATS
Inc., Territory Manager/ Project Consultant)
• Environmental Covariates: Multiscale remote sensing: extracting quantitative
information to support wildlife management. (Anupma Prakash—UAF, Professor,
Remote Sensing)
10:30
* - student
BREAK - refreshments provided
7
Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Monday, April 13
10:45
FURTHER DEFINING RSF MODEL INPUTS
a. Location data
• Filtering of animal location data prior to model building.
• Hierarchical structure of location data.
b. Covariate data
• What factors will be most helpful in modelling the target species?
c. Choice of Scale
• What spatial scale best suits our objectives?
• What does ‘available’ mean?
• How many available points do you need?
12:00
1:30
LUNCH - on your own
CHOICE OF PARTICULAR RSF METHODOLOGY
a. Pooled models.
b. Two-stage models.
c. Mixed-effects models.
d. SSFs and conditional logistic regression.
e. ‘Synoptic’ models, point-process models.
2:30
BREAK - refreshments provided
2:45
IMPLEMENTING RSF MODELS IN R USING THE ‘TWOSTAGE RSF’ PACKAGE
a. Creating multi-band raster stack from environmental covariate data.
b. Creation of ‘available’ points.
c. Extraction of values to animal locations and available points.
d. Some pre-modelling exploration of habitat-use.
e. Choice of model factors and specification of RSF model.
f. Model selection.
g. Output diagnostics.
• Factor effects
• Inter-individual variability
• Cross-validation results
h. Creation of output RSF surface from model coefficients, and common post-processing of
the RSF surface raster.
8
4:00
BREAK
4:15
GROUP DISCUSSION ON RSF IMPLEMENTATION
Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Tuesday, April 14
Juneau Arts and Culture Center (JACC)
8:00 am - 12:00 pm: Plenary session: Nexus of policy and science
Doug Larsen, moderator
8:00
8:10
OPENING REMARKS
Grant Hilderbrand, Alaska TWS President
THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY IN THE NEXUS: PERSPECTIVES OF A 42-YEAR MEMBER AND
PAST PRESIDENT
Wini Kessler
8:40
NAVIGATING THE SCIENCE AND POLITICS OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION: REFLECTIONS
FROM ALASKA’S TONGASS AND ARCTIC
John Schoen
9:10
IMPOSSIBLE PROBLEMS- IMPROBABLE SOLUTIONS: THE LIFE OF A WILDLIFE
BIOLOGIST IN A REGULATORY AGENCY
Doug DeMaster
9:40
10:00
BREAK - refreshments provided
MAKING SCIENCE RELEVANT: A SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR
EFFECTIVE CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE PLANNING IN ALASKA
Dave Albert
10:30
“WE THE PEOPLE”
11:00
PANEL DISCUSSION
12:00
Frank Rue
Doug Larsen, moderator
LUNCH - on your own
1:20pm - 3:00 pm Special session 1: Marine mammals and seabirds
Jamie Womble, moderator
1:20
POST-BREEDING SEASON MIGRATION PATTERNS OF HARBOR SEALS (PHOCA VITULINA
RICHARDII) FROM A MARINE PROTECTED AREA IN ALASKA
Jamie Womble and Scott Gende
1:40
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA MUSEUM’S MARINE MAMMAL COLLECTION: A RAPIDLY
GROWING AND INCREASINGLY UTILIZED SCIENTIFIC RESOURCE
Aren Gunderson, Catherine Rubin, and Link Olson
2:00
SHIFTS IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF MOLTING SPECTACLED EIDERS AS AN INDICATOR OF
ECOSYSTEM CHANGE IN THE ARCTIC
Matthew Sexson, Margaret Petersen, Greg Breed, and Abby Powell
* - student
9
Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Tuesday, April 14
2:20
SEABIRD MONITORING IN PREPARATION FOR HARVEST OF GULL EGGS IN GLACIER BAY
NATIONAL PARK
Tania Lewis, Christopher Behnke, Mary Beth Moss, Lisa Etherington, and Jamie Womble
2:40
BREAK - refreshments provided
3:00 pm - 5:10 pm: General session 1
Scott Brainerd, moderator
3:00
3:20
QUANTIFYING RURAL HUNTER ACCESS IN ALASKA
Ian Johnson*, Todd Brinkman, Kris Hundertmark, Bryce Lake and Kelda Britton
THE IMPACTS OF NON-LOCAL HUNTING ACTIVITY ON SUBSISTENCE HUNTERS: THE
CASE OF NOATAK, ALASKA
Gabriela Halas*, Gary Kofinas, Kyle Joly, and Pete Fix
3:40
HUMAN DIMENSIONS OF WILDLIFE (HDW) SURVEY RESEARCH: CRITICISMS,
ASSUMPTIONS, AND GUIDELINES
Todd Brinkman, Mark Burch, and Tony Kavalok
4:00
MODELING EFFECTS OF ROAD DEVELOPMENT ON CARIBOU AND SUBSISTENCE
HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES IN NORTHWESTERN ALASKA
Timothy Fullman, Ryan Wilson, and Wendy Loya
4:20
USING GRIZZLY BEARS TO ASSESS HARVEST-ECOSYSTEM TRADEOFFS IN SALMON
FISHERIES
Taal Levi and Christopher Darimont
4:40
LITTLE BROWN BATS IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA HIBERNATE IN HOLES: IMPLICATIONS
FOR THE SPREAD OF WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME
Karen Blejwas, Michael Kohan, Laura Beard, and Grey Pendleton
5:00
10
WRAP UP/ANNOUNCEMENTS
Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Tuesday, April 14
6:00pm - 10:00pm Poster session and mixer - light appetizers provided,
cash bar
Juneau Arts and Culture Center (JACC)
Posters
LOCAL TRAPPING AS PREDATOR CONTROL IN RURAL ALASKA: POTENTIAL AND
LIMITING FACTORS IN ALLAKAKET AND ALATNA
Heidi Hatcher
SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDING EFFECTS OF OVERWINTERING MALLARDS (ANAS
PLATYRHYCHOS) ON THE CHENA RIVER FAIRBANKS, ALASKA
Alexandra Lewis* and Jessica McLaughlin
NEW EFFORTS TO ASSESS WOLVERINE ECOLOGY IN NORTHERN ALASKA
Martin Robards, Ryan Klimstra, Audrey Magoun, Justina Ray, and James Lawler
AN AUTOMATED DATABASE SYSTEM FOR WILDLIFE TELEMETRY DATA
Christopher Swingley and Alexander Prichard
MONITORING COLLARED PIKA (OCHOTONA COLLARIS) IN TOMBSTONE TERRITORIAL
PARK, YUKON
Piia Kukka*, Mike Suitor, Alice McCulley, Cameron Eckert, and Thomas Jung
SEASONAL PREY SELECTION AND DIET OVERLAP OF RED FOXES (VULPES VULPES) AND
COYOTES (CANIS LATRANS) IN DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE, ALASKA
Jamie Rose*
ECOLOGICAL IMPACT OF SPAWNING PACIFIC SALMON (ONCORHYNCHUS SPP.) ON
THREE MAJOR PREDATORS IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA
Michael Godin* and David Tallmon
IMPROVING BODY CONDITION AND RESOLUTION OF ANEMIA IN WOOD BISON (BISON
BISON ATHABASCAE) CALVES
Vanessa Santana*, Kimberlee Beckmen, and Tom Seaton
AFFECTING DISTRIBUTION OF CARIBOU AND FOX DENS IN NORTHWESTERN ALASKA
2013-2014
Ryan Klimstra, Alex Prichard and Matt Macander
CURRENT RESEARCH ON TRICHINELLA PREVALENCE AND GENOTYPES AMONG
ALASKAN CARNIVORES
Kimberlee Beckmen, Detiger Dunams-Morel, Dolores Hill and Benjamin Rosenthal
SPECIES LIMITS IN HOARY MARMOTS AND THE THREATENED OLYMPIC MARMOT
Mahout Sorlin* and Link Olson
* - student
11
Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Wednesday, April 15
Juneau Arts and Culture Center (JACC)
8:00 am - 11:40 am: Special session 2: Alpine Ecology and Management
Kevin White, moderator
8:00
8:10
8:30
WELCOME/ANNOUNCEMENTS
HIGH AND GREEN: PATTERNS OF VEGETATION IN ALPINE SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
Kitty LaBounty
TEMPERATURE CHANGE AND LAPSE RATE IN THE WESTERN CHUGACH MOUNTAINS:
IMPLICATIONS FOR ALPINE AND SUBALPINE SPECIES
Roman Dial and Christina Rinas
8:50
TIMBERLINE FOREST UPWARD ADVANCE FACILITATED BY MICROSITES AND
DISTURBANCE
Adelaide Johnson and Alan Yeakley
9:10
9:30
9:50
10:20
SMALL MAMMAL SURVEYS IN ALPINE AREAS OF SOUTHEAST ALASKA
Karen Blejwas and Joseph Cook
PHENOLOGICAL PLASTICITY IN AN ALPINE HIBERNATOR, THE HOARY MARMOT
Catherine Rubin* and Link Olson
BREAK - refreshments provided
PREDICTED SHIFTS IN SMALL MAMMAL DISTRIBUTIONS AND BIODIVERSITY IN THE
ALTERED FUTURE ENVIRONMENT OF ALASKA
Andy Baltensperger* and Falk Huettmann
10:40
11:00
PTARMIGAN IN THE MIST: SURVEYING BIRDS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST ALASKA ALPINE
Catherine Pohl
ALPINE THERMAL DYNAMICS AND ASSOCIATED CONSTRAINTS ON THE BEHAVIOR OF
MOUNTAIN GOATS (OREAMNOS AMERICANUS) IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA
Jeffrey Frederick*, Sanjay Pyare, Kevin White, Todd Brinkman, and Kris Hundertmark
11:20
COMPARATIVE ECOLOGY OF MOUNTAIN GOATS IN COASTAL ALASKA
Kevin White
11:40 am - 12:00pm: General session 2
Kevin White, moderator
11:40
12:00
12
USING CIRCUIT THEORY TO REWIRE ROADS FOR WILDLIFE
Kerry Nicholson, Andreas Seiler, Mattias Olsson, and Mats Lindqvist
LUNCH/BUSINESS MEETING - sandwich buffet and beverages provided
Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Wednesday, April 15
1:30 pm - 2:50pm: Special session 3: Landscape and Population Genetics
Tania Lewis, moderator
1:30
CONTEMPORARY GENETIC STRUCTURE OF BROWN BEARS (URSUS ARCTOS) IN A
RECENTLY DEGLACIATED LANDSCAPE: GLACIER BAY, ALASKA
Tania Lewis, Sanjay Pyare, and Kris Hundertmark
1:50
2:10
2:30
SOURCE-SINK DYNAMICS AND BARRIERS TO GENE FLOW IN ALASKA RED FOXES
Kris Hundertmark, Elizabeth Goldsmith and Karsten Hueffer
DISTRIBUTION AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF THE ALASKAN HARE
Michelle Cason*, Travis Booms and Link Olson
GENOMIC DIVERSIFICATION OF MESO-CARNIVORES (MUSTELA ERMINEA AND MARTES
SPP.) ACROSS NORTHWESTERN NORTH AMERICA
Jocelyn Colella, Sandra Talbot, Charlotte Lindqvist, and Joseph Cook
2:50
BREAK - refreshments provided
3:20 pm - 5:10pm: General session 2
Grant Hilderbrand, moderator
3:20
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SNOWSHOE HARE HERBIVORY AND WHITE SPRUCE
ESTABLISHMENT ON THE TANANA RIVER FLOODPLAIN, ALASKA
Justin Olnes* and Knut Kielland
3:40
PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS ON MOVEMENTS AND DISPERSION OF MOOSE IN WESTERN
INTERIOR ALASKA
Thomas Paragi, Kalin Kellie, Matthew Warren, Kerry Nicholson, Joshua Peirce, Jerry Hill, and Bruce
Seppi
4:00
4:20
LANDSCAPE-SCALE CORRELATES OF RISK PERCEPTION IN FREE-RANGING MOOSE
Kevin Colson, Kris Hundertmark, and Kevin White
THE APPLICATION OF ANIMAL-BORNE VIDEO CAMERA WITH GLOBAL POSITIONING
AND STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS TO EXAMINE THE ECOLOGY OF A TOP PREDATOR
Christopher Brockman*, Bruce Dale, William Collins, Jeffry Welker, and Donald Spalinger
4:40
5:00
ALASKA’S WILDLIFE HEALTH AND DISEASE SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM
Kimberlee Beckmen
WRAP UP & ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00 pm - 10:00pm: Banquet - ticketed dinner buffet and cash bar
Featuring: Guest speaker Richard Carstensen followed by music
from the band Wild Kind
at Juneau Arts and Culture Center (JACC)
* - student
13
Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Thursday, April 16
Northern Furbearer Conference
Juneau Arts and Culture Center (JACC)
8:00
REGISTRATION
9:00 am - 12:00 pm: General Session 1
Howard Golden, moderator
9:00
9:10
9:30
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
WOLVERINE FORAGING IN NORTHERN ALBERTA
Matthew Scrafford* and Mark S. Boyce
COYOTE AND RED FOX DIET COMPOSITION IN RELATION TO WOLVES IN INTERIOR
ALASKA
Kelly Sivy*, Casey Pozzanghera, and Laura Prugh
9:50
RESOURCE SELECTION AND ASSIMILATED DIETS OF MARTENS IN A MANAGED FOREST
ON KUIU ISLAND, SOUTHEAST ALASKA
Carl Koch*, Rod Flynn, Merav Ben-David
10:10
10:40
11:00
BREAK - refreshments provided
MESOCARNIVORE OCCUPANCY PATTERNS IN ALASKA’S INTERIOR
Casey Pozzanghera*, Kelly Sivy, and Laura Prugh
WOLVERINE IN A SNOW-FREE SPRING -- HABITAT OCCUPANCY IN ALBERTA’S BOREAL
FOREST
Robert Anderson, Bill Abercrombie, Brian Bildson, and Doug Manzer
11:20
MODELLING LANDSCAPE USE AND TRAVEL CORRIDOR CHANGES OF WOLVES (CANIS
LUPUS) IN THE NELCHINA BASIN DURING INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT
Tony Carnahan, Todd Rinaldi, Howard Golden, and Grant Hilderbrand
11:40
USE OF WOLVERINE ACTIVITY DATA TO TEST FOR POTENTIAL BIAS IN POPULATION
ABUNDANCE ESTIMATES
Howard Golden, Michael Harrington, David Saalfeld, and Earl Becker
12:00
LUNCH - on your own
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm: General Session 2
Kevin Colson, moderator
1:30
POPULATION DENSITY ESTIMATES OF WOLVES AND MARTEN IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA
USING SPATIALLY-EXPLICIT CAPTURE-RECAPTURE MODELS
Jason Waite
14
Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Thursday, April 16
1:50
SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIATION IN RIVER OTTER DENSITIES ALONG THE
SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA COAST
Adi Barocas*, Howard Golden and Merav Ben-David
2:10
2:30
MOTIVATIONS AND DRIVERS OF INTERIOR ALASKAN TRAPPERS
Ross Dorendorf*, Peter Fix and Laura Prugh
TRAPPER, CONSERVATIONIST, OR BOTH? HOW THE DESIRE FOR A SUSTAINABLE
HARVEST CAN MOTIVATE CONTRIBUTIONS TO WOLVERINE RESEARCH AND
CONSERVATION EFFORTS
Lenore Stone, Bill Abercrombie, Brian Bildson, Shevenell Webb, and Robert B. Anderson
2:50
BREAK - refreshments provided
3:20
IMPLICATIONS OF HARVEST ON THE BOUNDARIES OF PROTECTED AREAS FOR WOLF
VIEWING OPPORTUNITIES
Bridget Borg*, Kira A. Cassidy, Douglas W. Smith, Jeffrey A. Falke, and Laura R. Prugh
3:40
ADDRESSING COMMUNITY TRAPPING AND PET SAFETY CONCERNS IN NORTHERN
SOUTHEAST ALASKA
Stephanie Sell
4:00
GROUP DISCUSSION: FUTURE NORTHERN FURBEARER CONFERENCES
4:20
WRAP-UP & ANNOUNCEMENTS
NFC Posters (during breaks)
WINTER HOME RANGE AND MOVEMENTS OF WOLVERINES IN SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA
David Saalfeld, Howard Golden, Michael Harrington, and Earl Becker
THE WINTER DIET OF WOLVERINES (GULO GULO) IN THE YUKON TERRITORY
Piia Kukka*, Jean-Francois Robitaille, and Thomas Jung
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS OF HARVESTED WOLVERINE (GULO GULO) IN YUKON,
CANADA
Piia Kukka*, Thomas Jung and Fiona Schmiegelow
* - student
15
Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Friday, April 17
Hangar Ballroom, Downtown Juneau
8:30 am - 4:30 pm: NFC workshop: Non-invasive techniques for monitoring
furbearers and their prey
This workshop will be divided into an overview session of non-invasive techniques, followed by more
in-depth sessions. The overview will cover the varied non-invasive tools and techniques in use today,
such as camera trapping, DNA mark-recapture, stable isotope analysis, snow tracking, line-transect/
distance sampling, and fecal counts. In-depth sessions will focus on camera trapping and DNA markrecapture techniques. Study design, data collection, and analysis techniques will be presented for
each topic. These sessions will involve breakout groups to allow participants a chance to brainstorm
with the presenters and each other about the best approaches to take for provided case studies.
This workshop should be pertinent to a wide variety of wildlife interests, and we encourage TWS
participants to join us.
Many thanks to our presenters:
Laura Prugh – Assistant Professor of Wildlife Ecology, Biology and Wildlife Dept., University of Alaska
Fairbanks
Ramona Maraj – Carnivore Biologist, Environment Yukon, Government of Yukon
Adi Barocas – Ph.D. Student, Dept. of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming
With special thanks to our guest presenter:
Marcella Kelly – Associate Professor, Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech. Marcella
is widely regarded as a leading expert on camera-trap, mark-recapture, and noninvasive sampling techniques for carnivores and their prey. She has studied ursids,
felids, canids, and other species across many temperate and tropical environments
around the world. Having received her Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of
California, Davis, Marcella currently teaches and continues her research at Virginia
Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
8:00
WELCOME/ANNOUNCEMENTS
8:10
GENERAL OVERVIEW:
NON-INVASIVE MONITORING TECHNIQUE
Laura Prugh
9:10
IN-DEPTH SESSION 1
DNA MARK-RECAPTURE TECHNIQUES
Ramona Maraj & Adi Barocas*
10:10
10:30
12:00
16
BREAK - refreshments provided
IN-DEPTH SESSION 1
continued
LUNCH - on your own
Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Friday, April 17
1:30
IN-DEPTH SESSION 2
CAMERA TRAPPING AND MARK-RECAPTURE TECHNIQUES
Marcella Kelly
3:00
BREAK - refreshments provided
3:20
IN-DEPTH SESSION 2
Continued
4:20
SYNTHESIS AND RECAP: GROUP DISCUSSION
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
ABSTRACTS
WORKSHOPS, SPECIAL SESSIONS, AND
CONTRIBUTED PAPERS AND POSTERS
Monday, April 13
WORKSHOP: BUILDING RESOURCE SELECTION MODELS FROM START TO
FINISH (8:30 AM - 5:00 PM)
Workshop Organizer: Dave Gregovich
Resource Selection Functions (RSFs) have emerged as one of the most common tools for analyzing wildlife
GPS location data, as they supply basic and applied information on wildlife habitat selection. The intent
of this workshop is to provide participants with both a conceptual overview of RSF analysis as well as a
demonstration implementing an RSF analysis. RSF workflows are comprised of a chain of processing and
analysis tasks which can be time and labor intensive. However, clear project objectives and a well-organized
outline of the process can minimize the time and effort required. To this end, I have developed a workflow
in the R programming environment that can be readily implemented by biologists, provided they have a
moderate level of experience with R.
The morning of the workshop will consist of a conceptual overview of RSF modelling, including:
1. Telemetry data collection and management
2. Acquisition and development of landscape factors
3. Choice of spatio-temporal scale
4. Choice of particular RSF modelling methodology
5. Display and interpretation of outputs.
The afternoon session will be dedicated to implementing these concepts on the laptop, using the ‘two-stage’
RSF approach (Fieberg, 2010). During this portion of the workshop, participants will be able to follow along
themselves with input data and an R package that will be provided to participants of the workshop. There
will also be some time provided to assist participants with obstacles they may be facing with their own RSF
analyses.
***Limited to the first 40 registered participants***
***Additional fee of $50 to attend***
Contact: Dave Gregovich, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation Telephone:
(907) 465-4291 e-mail: [email protected]
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Tuesday, April 14
PLENARY SESSION: NEXUS OF POLICY AN SCIENCE (8:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
Session Moderator: Doug Larsen
As the global footprint expands, increasing pressure is placed on natural systems and wildlife populations
inhabiting those systems. Consequently, decisions about how to balance conflicts between economic
development, ecological integrity, and a diverse array of stakeholders can become increasingly challenging.
As wildlife professionals and scientists, we believe the solution to such challenges involves a steadfast
application of science-based management. Yet in practice, the application of science-based management
in the increasingly politicized arena of natural resource decision making can be quite complex and anything
but straightforward.
For this plenary session, our goal is to gain deeper insights into how scientists from various backgrounds
and affiliations have successfully navigated the complex nexus of science and policy in the context of their
respective experiences and careers, particularly as it relates to high profile and controversial issues that
involve a diverse array of stakeholders. By providing case studies of their direct experiences our goal is
to provide emerging and seasoned professionals with wisdom, lessons-learned and advice about how to
effectively navigate the decision-making process that involves the application of science.
Each speaker will be asked to provide a 30 min presentation that describes their background, details about
notable experiences involving science-policy and a summary of challenges, solutions and recommendations.
The sessions will be followed by a 60 min panel discussion moderated by Doug Larsen.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
8:10 am
THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY IN THE NEXUS: PERSPECTIVES OF A 42-YEAR MEMBER
AND PAST PRESIDENT
Wini Kessler
The Wildlife Society/US Forest Service, Alaska Region – retired.
Abstract: Survey after survey affirms that The Wildlife Society’s (TWS) role in informing and influencing public
policies is a priority of its members and a key reason that many choose to join. No such role existed for the
first several decades of TWS’ history; many members feared and opposed such involvement and still today,
opinions about “advocacy” remain divided. Following an historical overview of TWS’ policy role, I will describe
how today’s Government Affairs and Partnerships Program works to inform issues and policies at the national
levels and to empower TWS subunits and members to weigh in at the regional, state, and grass-roots levels.
Through 10 years on TWS Council including a term as President, I have come to appreciate the fine line that
TWS and other professional and scientific societies must walk in promoting science-based decisions and
policy choices favorable to wildlife. Like each of us individually, professional societies need to proceed in
a smart and cautious manner. On the right side of the thin line you will be recognized as an objective and
trusted expert—and herein lies the potential to have a positive influence. Cross that line and you will be seen
primarily as an activist, allowed to have your say but assumed to be motivated by a desired policy outcome.
Certainly there is an acute need for scientists and wildlife professionals to serve as advocates for healthy
ecosystems and science-based management. The challenge is how to apply your knowledge to effective
purpose in the policy area, without risking your reputation and trust-worthiness as an objective expert.
Biography: Wini Kessler is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, Fellow, and Past-President of The Wildlife Society. She
lives in rural British Columbia. Her 40-year career in research, education, and management includes faculty
positions at the University of Idaho, Utah State University, and University of Northern British Columbia
(UNBC). At UNBC she championed an innovative and integrated approach to natural resources education
that earned her the British Columbia Academic of the Year Award in 1997. Wini also served 21 years with
the U.S. Forest Service in positions including the Alaska Regional Ecologist, National Wildlife Ecologist, and
Principal Rangeland Ecologist. In 2010 she retired from the Forest Service as the Alaska Regional Director
for Wildlife, Fisheries, Ecology, Watershed, and Subsistence Management. She is a member of the Wildlife
Hunting Heritage and Conservation Council, which advises the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and Secretary
of Agriculture in matters concerning America’s wildlife resources and shooting sports. Her current board
positions include the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, which invests $5-6 million annually in
conservation projects throughout British Columbia, and the Ecosystem Management Research Institute. She
is a 22-year Professional Member of the Boone & Crockett Club, serving 8 years as the research and education
editor for the Club’s magazine, Fair Chase. Wini’s education includes bachelors and masters degrees from
the University of California-Berkeley and PhD from Texas A&M University, which in 2002 honored her with an
Outstanding Alumnus Award.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
8:40 am
NAVIGATING THE SCIENCE AND POLITICS OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION:
REFLECTIONS FROM ALASKA’S TONGASS AND ARCTIC
John Schoen
Alaska Audubon/ ADF&G – retired
Navigating the Science and Politics of Wildlife Conservation:
Reflections from Alaska’s Tongass and Arctic
A Few War Stories:
1979-1980 ADF&G - FSL Tongass deer research
1986 Congressional Hearings on Tongass
2003-2011 Western Arctic - NPRA Conservation Assessment
2004-2007 Audubon – TNC Tongass Conservation Strategy
Take Home messages:
• Conservation is Job 1. Don’t waste time on trivial stuff. Be strategic, keep your eyes on the prize.
• Agencies cling to the status quo. Change requires risk & persistence.
• Save all the parts. It’s not just about game species, T&E species, or management indicators.
Leopold said the first principle of conservation is to preserve all the parts. Our fundamental job is to
ensure the maintenance of functional ecosystems & all the parts (biodiversity) that underpin them.
• Always tell the truth. Credibility is our most valuable asset. Never exaggerate and if you error,
error on the side of understatement.
• Peer-reviewed publications are important. But scientists also have an obligation beyond
publishing in esoteric journals to ensure their results and management implications are understood
by managers and the public.
• Focus on the goal not the credit. Personal egos are the greatest obstacle to successful problem
solving. If we spent less time worrying about credit, we could accomplish more for conservation.
• Push the envelope and take personal responsibility. But don’t needlessly step in front of a train.
Recognize that you may not change an agency position but you should ensure that your supervisor
understands the issues and tradeoffs. That’s everyone’s responsibility—push it up the chain. Clear,
concise memos make good paper trails.
• Work cooperatively and seek out partnerships. We need to move beyond state vs feds or
environmentalists vs resource agencies. Professional societies like TWS can play an important role.
We’re all in this together.
• Balance your life. If you want to be effective and stay in the game for the long-term, get into the
field, hunt, fish, photography, and explore Alaska’s wildlands. And if you do that you will maintain
your personal fire and be a much more effective and happier wildlife biologist.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Biography: John Schoen grew up on an island in Washington State and received his Ph.D. from the University
of Washington. He has been involved in Alaska wildlife conservation for 38 years, including 20 years with
ADF&G and 14 with Audubon Alaska. His research includes ecological studies of brown bears, blacktailed deer, and mountain goats in southeast Alaska. John’s work with Audubon included comprehensive
conservation assessments of the Western Arctic and Tongass National Forest. He has also served as an
Affiliate Professor of Wildlife at UAF. John is a Fellow of The Wildlife Society, a former president of the Alaska
Chapter, and a past recipient of the NW Section’s Einarsen Award. He has published over 60 scientific and
popular articles on Alaska wildlife and is co-editor of the book North Pacific Temperate Rainforests: Ecology
and Conservation. He and his wife Mary Beth live in Anchorage.
9:10 am
IMPOSSIBLE PROBLEMS- IMPROBABLE SOLUTIONS: THE LIFE OF A WILDLIFE
BIOLOGIST IN A REGULATORY AGENCY
Doug DeMaster
NOAA Fisheries-Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Abstract: In marine resource management, the devil is in the details. However, U.S. statutes that mandate the
Federal government’s role in the management of living marine resources are not always clear. Oftentimes,
it is left to the responsible agencies to assert what is meant. This is accomplished via regulations. Legal
questions as to whether a federal agency got it right require intervention by the courts. International
conventions dictate how renewable resources are managed in international waters. Again, mandates are
not always clear and details are often difficult to negotiate. Courts are much less likely to be involved. The
information needs required for sustainable management in the marine environment are logistically complex,
relatively expensive, and prone to interpretation by stakeholders, both those supportive of and opposed to
resource utilization plans. Scientists often have to decide whether to be neutral providers of information or
advocates. It is very difficult to do both.
Brief biography: My technical training is in conservation biology and wildlife biology. I have extensive
experience conducting research on a wide variety of marine mammals, including polar bears, sea otters,
Antarctic and Arctic ice seals, tropical dolphins, Steller sea lions, walrus, and beluga whales. My Ph.D. is from
the University of Minnesota in Ecology and Behavioral Biology (1978). Over the last 20 years, I have been
heavily involved in the deliberations of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), as well as having served
on Recovery Teams for Southern Sea Otters and Hawaiian Monk Seals and teams responsible for preparing
ESA Section 7 Biological Opinions for Steller sea lions. I served as the U.S. Deputy Commissioner to the
IWC from 2006 to 2013 and Chair of the IWC’s Scientific Committee from 2003 to 2005. I have held Affiliate
Professorships at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Washington, and the University of Alaska.
I also currently serve as the Science Director for the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Alaska Fisheries
Science Center and my duty station is in Juneau, AK. I am a strong advocate of well-designed research being
at the forefront of ecosystem based management in the marine environment.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
10:00 am
MAKING SCIENCE RELEVANT: A SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS APPROACH
FOR EFFECTIVE CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE PLANNING IN ALASKA
Dave Albert
The Nature Conservancy
Abstract: Not available.
Bio sketch: Dave Albert is Director of Conservation Science with the Alaska Chapter of The Nature
Conservancy. He studied at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. For
the past 20 years he has worked in Southeast Alaska on a variety of projects related to community planning
and conservation of forests, fish and wildlife habitat. A common approach has been use of geographic
information to understand important resource issues, working with people to define local values and
goals, and to craft solutions that meet people’s needs. The purpose of this discussion is to recognize that
conservation and resource policy reflect broad social values, and by understanding the social context of
decision-making scientists are better able to provide policy relevant information and analysis.
10:30 am
“WE THE PEOPLE”
Frank Rue
Southeast Alaska Land Trust/ Alaska Department of Fish and Game– retired
Abstract: The politicians who established the political systems for the United States and Alaska built a political
framework of constitutions, laws and regulations that give science a central place in our political lives. I will
point out what, in my view, are some of the most important features of our political system that those of
us who value science, as a foundation upon which political decisions are made, should be thankful for and
protect at all costs.
I will discuss the three practices I believe have helped me and others “successfully” navigate the nexus
between science and politics within our political framework.
1. Always tell the truth.
2. Always respect the knowledge/rights/ legitimate opinions of others.
3. Be flexible in how you achieve your goal(s), but be ready to say no when it’s necessary.
I will give examples of political events where these principles were followed and the nexus of science and
politics lead to good results for people and fish and wildlife.
Biography: I have a BA degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Landscape Architecture
from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. I moved to Alaska in 1977 to work as a Land Use Planner
for the Department of Community and Regional Affairs on local Coastal Management Plans. I then worked
for the Department of Natural Recourses Planning Section helping develop land use plans for state
lands from the Northwest Arctic, Bristol Bay, Prince William Sound, Tanana Valley, Copper River Valley to
Southeast Alaska. I then worked as the ADF&G Habitat Director for 7 years during the Cowper and Hickel
Administrations and then as Commissioner of ADF&G for 8 years during the Knowles Administration. Since
retiring from ADF&G I have worked primarily as a resource consultant and as an employee for private nonprofit conservation organizations, such as the Conservation Fund, the Nature Conservancy and currently for
the Southeast Alaska Land Trust.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Tuesday, April 14
SPECIAL SESSION: MARINE MAMMALS AND SEABIRDS
(1:20 PM - 2:40 PM)
Session Chair: Jamie Womble
Marine birds and mammals play important roles in structuring marine ecosystems and serve as important
subsistence species throughout Alaska. We welcome abstracts for spoken and poster presentations from
current research that is focused on all aspects of research and monitoring related to marine birds and
mammals in Alaska.
1:20 pm
POST-BREEDING SEASON MIGRATION PATTERNS OF HARBOR SEALS (PHOCA
VITULINA RICHARDII) FROM A MARINE PROTECTED AREA IN ALASKA
Jamie Womble and Scott Gende
National Park Service
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly being used as a conservation tool for highly mobile marine
vertebrates and the focus is typically on protecting breeding areas where individuals are aggregated
seasonally. Yet movements during the non-breeding season can overlap with threats that may be equally as
important to population dynamics. Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, is one of the largest marine mammal
protected areas in the world and has the only enforceable protection measures for reducing disturbance
to harbor seals in the USA. Satellite-linked transmitters were attached to 37 harbor seals to quantify the
post-breeding season migrations of seals and the amount of time that seals spent inside vs. outside of the
MPA. Seals traveled extensively beyond the boundaries of Glacier Bay during the post-breeding season,
encompassing an area (25,325 km2) significantly larger than that used by seals during the breeding season
(8,125 km2). These movements included the longest migration yet recorded for a harbor seal (3,411 km)
and extended use (23 days) of pelagic areas by some seals. Although the collective utilization distribution
of seals during the post-breeding season was quite expansive, there was a substantial degree of individual
variability in the percentage of days that seals spent in the MPA. Nevertheless, seals demonstrated a high
degree of inter-annual site fidelity (93%) to Glacier Bay the following breeding season. Our results highlight
the importance of understanding the threats that seals may interact with outside of the boundaries of Glacier
Bay for understanding population dynamics of seals in Glacier Bay.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
1:40 pm
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA MUSEUM’S MARINE MAMMAL COLLECTION: A
RAPIDLY GROWING AND INCREASINGLY UTILIZED SCIENTIFIC RESOURCE
Aren Gunderson, Catherine Rubin, and Link Olson
University of Alaska Museum
The University of Alaska Museum (UAM) houses the 9th-largest mammal collection in North America and
is the foremost repository of marine mammal specimens in North America, with material from over 21,000
cetaceans, pinnipeds, sea otters, and polar bears. Most of these are represented by frozen tissue samples in
the museum’s state-of-the-art Genomic Resources facility. In addition to granting regular physical access
to specimens, UAM’s mammal collection provides samples from over 1,000 specimens to researchers
around the world each year. Recent grants from the North Pacific Research Board and the National Science
Foundation are supporting the archival and digitization of over 20,000 marine mammal specimens that
remain uncataloged and therefore unavailable to researchers. Upon completion of these projects, the marine
mammal collection at UAM will nearly double in size. We will provide an overview of the current marine
mammal specimen holdings, recent research using UAM’s marine mammal specimens, and opportunities for
new and strengthened partnerships between UAM and Alaska’s diverse marine mammal stakeholders.
2:00 pm
SHIFTS IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF MOLTING SPECTACLED EIDERS AS AN
INDICATOR OF ECOSYSTEM CHANGE IN THE ARCTIC
Matthew Sexson1, Margaret Petersen2, Greg Breed3, and Abby Powell3
US Geological Survey, Alaska Region, 2US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 3University of Alaska
Fairbanks. Contact: [email protected]
1
Spectacled Eiders are benthivorous sea ducks that spend non-breeding seasons in Beringian seas. Evidence
suggests that the species’ winter distribution overlaps the distribution of invertebrate prey, which shifts
in response to biotic and abiotic processes. If the distribution of eiders at molting areas also matches that
of prey, we predict that spatial shifts indicate change in ecosystem processes that resonate through the
benthic mediated food web. We used a randomization procedure to test for inter-annual and -decadal
shifts in the distribution of satellite telemetry locations received from Spectacled Eiders in the 1990s and
2008–2011 within four principle molting areas; Indigirka-Kolyma off the coast of northern Russia, Ledyard
Bay in the eastern Chukchi Sea, Norton Sound in the northeastern Bering Sea, and Mechigmenskiy Gulf in
the northwestern Bering Sea. We also tested the hypothesis that shifts resulted in a change in dive depth
required to reach prey, which influences the energetic efficiency of foraging. Eiders used the same molting
areas in each year, although the distribution of eiders shifted in each area. Inter-decadal shifts occurred in
Ledyard Bay and Norton Sound. Landward shifts in each area resulted in a decrease in required dive depth
in recent years. Shifts in Mechigmenskiy Gulf and Indigirka-Kolyma were not consistent within or among
decades suggesting greater inter-annual variability in ecosystem processes. Shifts in each molting area
suggest dynamic distribution of underlying prey, with implications for recovery of this threatened species if
changes result in novel competition, shifting prey regimes, or changing depths to forage.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
2:20 pm
SEABIRD MONITORING IN PREPARATION FOR HARVEST OF GULL EGGS IN
GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK
Tania Lewis1, Christopher Behnke2, Mary Beth Moss1, Lisa Etherington1, and Jamie Womble1
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and 2University of Alaska, Fairbanks
1
In July 25, 2014, the President of the United States signed congressional legislation to allow harvest of
glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens) eggs at up to 15 locations in Glacier Bay National Park Legislation
by Hoonah Tlingit tribal members for the first time in over 50 years. A Legislative Environmental Impact
Statement completed in 2010 identifies 15 potential harvest sites and mandates the National Park Service
to carry out monitoring of gull colonies to mitigate potential negative resource effects of the harvest.
Monitoring results will be applied to an egg harvest plan prepared annually by the park and the Hoonah
Indian Association. We monitored nesting seabirds from 2012-2014 using ground and vessel-based census
techniques to determine the distribution and abundance of gulls and harvestable nests, and to document
other species present that may be impacted by harvest. We documented over 1100 glaucous-winged gulls
at 7 potential harvest locations, ranging from 7 - 144 harvestable nests per colony. Although the number
of nests remained relatively stable between years, we found substantial differences in productivity ranging
from high counts of 187 eggs and only one hatched chick in 2012, 1403 eggs and 437 hatched chicks in
2013, and 904 eggs and 67 hatched chicks in 2014. Marine mammals and other nesting seabird species may
be disturbed by harvest at several locations. Park managers, scientists, and anthropologists have begun
meeting with potential native egg harvesters to discuss management strategies for future gull egg harvest
plans in an adaptive management framework.
GENERAL SESSION 1 (3:00 PM - 5:10 PM)
Session Moderator: Scott Brainerd
3:00 pm
QUANTIFYING RURAL HUNTER ACCESS IN ALASKA
Ian Johnson1*, Todd Brinkman1, Kris Hundertmark1, Bryce Lake2 and Kelda Britton3
University of Alaska, Fairbanks, 2U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and 3Council of Athabascan Tribal
Government
1
The characteristics of hunter access influence harvest opportunities and success. Few studies in rural arctic
and sub-arctic regions have quantified access characteristics in a way that facilitates measurement and
comparison of hunter movement and habitat use. Our research sought to quantify access of subsistence
moose hunters in Interior Alaska. We used spatially-explicit data collected from hunter interviews and GIS
analyses to calculate access pathways and distances hunters traveled to moose hunting and harvest points.
We determined that rural hunters used rivers systems for access. Approximately 53%, 71%, and 78% of
reported moose harvest locations occurred within 25, 50, and 100km, respectively, from their community
of residence. The remaining harvest points (22%) exceed 100km away from their respective communities. In
areas accessible by hunters, we estimated that 378 moose (males) were available for harvest on an annual
basis based on a game-unit wide, post-hunt density of 0.016 legal moose/km2. Pooling all communities in
our study area, this equates to 0.93 moose per household. Our findings demonstrated how spatial insight
on the area accessible to hunters may benefit game managers by identifying specific areas (e.g., corridors,
habitats) most important to hunters. Our model also may provide an alternative method for estimating
harvest and harvestable surplus in rural areas where harvest report data is considered unreliable.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
3:20 pm
THE IMPACTS OF NON-LOCAL HUNTING ACTIVITY ON SUBSISTENCE
HUNTERS: THE CASE OF NOATAK, ALASKA
Gabriela Halas1*, Gary Kofinas1, Kyle Joly2, and Pete Fix1
University of Alaska, Fairbanks and 2National Park Service
1
The interactions of rural subsistence hunters with non-local hunters and aircraft transporters have become
problematic in management of barren-ground caribou (Rangifer taradus) in Alaska. The Native Village of
Noatak in Northwestern Alaska borders the Noatak National Preserve, an area historically used by Iñupiaq for
subsistence and today the site of significant non-local hunting and related activity. In the last decade Noatak
people have expressed concern about the impact of non-local hunting on caribou migration and locals’
hunting success. We documented changes to migration and local hunting, as perceived by local caribou
hunters of Noatak. We used mixed-methods by administering a survey to active hunters (n=62), which
provided both quantitative and qualitative data, and semi-structured participatory mapping interviews
with local caribou experts (n=19) to capture spatial insights of local observations, areas of potential
conflict and other relevant space-based relationships. As an evaluative framework, we asked local hunters
to define what constitutes a “successful” caribou harvesting experience. Results reveal Noatak hunters’
detailed understanding of caribou migration and their observations of changes in caribou distribution
and movements within their traditional use area. Hunters also distinguished between types of non-local
activity, reporting that aircraft are a greater disturbance than on-the-ground non-local hunters. The study
demonstrated that traditional ecological knowledge of caribou can provide insight into the nature of user
conflicts and thus, contribute to wildlife and land management in an area where multiple users wish to
access the same resource.
3:40 pm
HUMAN DIMENSIONS OF WILDLIFE (HDW) SURVEY RESEARCH: CRITICISMS,
ASSUMPTIONS, AND GUIDELINES
Todd Brinkman1, Mark Burch2, and Tony Kavalok2
University of Alaska, Fairbanks and 2Alaska Department of Fish and Game
1
Surveys are a commonly used tool within the Human Dimensions of Wildlife (HDW), a scientific field studying
human-wildlife interactions and thoughts and behaviors of humans toward or related to wildlife. Survey
research on values, attitudes, behaviors, and demographics of people can provide invaluable information
to wildlife managers and decision makers, especially when the prominent characteristics of science are
employed. In Alaska, HDW survey research has received both positive and negative evaluations. By some,
surveys have been embraced as critical component of effective wildlife management. By others, surveys have
been dismissed as subjective tactics aimed to subversively sway decisions. We argue that high variability
in acceptance and use of survey findings may be a result of disparities in perceptions of how surveys are
being designed, implemented, analyzed, and used to inform management. Using case studies as examples
(moose hunter survey , Anchorage resident survey on moose, sheep hunter survey), we: 1) highlight general
criticisms (supported and unsupported) of survey research, 2) address common assumptions (correct and
incorrect) that influence interpretation and use of survey findings, and 3) provide general guidelines that may
foster objective and informative surveys. As wildlife management shifts into a citizen model, cash-strapped
wildlife agencies will need to develop innovative strategies to engage the public while maintaining scientific
standards. Survey research can do this if stakeholders (researchers, managers, public) are adequately
informed and in agreement on purpose and potential of surveys.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
4:00 pm
MODELING EFFECTS OF ROAD DEVELOPMENT ON CARIBOU AND
SUBSISTENCE HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES IN NORTHWESTERN ALASKA
Timothy Fullman1, Ryan Wilson1, and Wendy Loya1,2
The Wilderness Society and 2Greenland Institute of Natural Resources
1
Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) are an importance subsistence resource as they migrate past the village of
Nuiqsut, moving from their summer range on the Arctic coastal plain in the National Petroleum Reserve –
Alaska (NPR-A) to winter in the foothills of the Brook’s Range. The first oil development in the NPR-A was
recently approved. We used caribou movement models to evaluate potential effects of oil field development
in the NPR-A and surrounding areas on the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd during its fall migration and on
subsistence opportunities for Nuiqsut. Migration was simulated under four development scenarios using
a biased correlated random walk model. Individuals encountering roads showed one of four behaviors: no
response, delayed crossing while moving away from road, delayed crossing near road, or never crossing road.
Many caribou never encountered a road during migration, but this percentage decreased as development
increased. While overall migration success was high, there were significant differences based on response to
roads. For individuals that successfully migrated, both the duration of migration and the distance travelled
were larger for individuals affected by roads than for unaffected caribou, potentially reducing winter energy
reserves. Only a small percentage of caribou came near Nuiqsut and that number generally decreased in
the presence of additional roads. However, individuals affected by roads spent more time near the village
than unaffected individuals, potentially increasing availability to hunters. Additional research is needed to
understand the cumulative effects of roads and hunting impacts on caribou distribution and availability to
local hunters.
4:20 pm
USING GRIZZLY BEARS TO ASSESS HARVEST-ECOSYSTEM TRADEOFFS IN
SALMON FISHERIES
Taal Levi1 and Christopher Darimont2
Oregon State University and 2University of Victoria
1
Implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) requires a clear conceptual and
quantitative framework for assessing how different harvest options can modify benefits to ecosystem
and human beneficiaries. We address this social-ecological need for Pacific salmon fisheries, which are
economically valuable but intercept much of the annual pulse of nutrient subsidies that salmon provide
to terrestrial and aquatic food webs. We used grizzly bears, vectors of salmon nutrients and animals with
densities strongly coupled to salmon abundance, as surrogates for ‘‘salmon ecosystem’’ function. Combining
salmon biomass and stock-recruitment data with stable isotope analysis, we assess potential tradeoffs
between fishery yields and bear population densities for six sockeye salmon stocks in Bristol Bay, Alaska, and
British Columbia, Canada. For the coastal stocks, we find that both bear densities and fishery yields would
increase if ecosystem allocations of salmon increase from currently applied lower to upper goals and beyond.
In contrast, we detect acute tradeoffs between bear densities and fishery yields in interior stocks within the
Fraser River, BC, where biomass from other salmon species is low. There, increasing salmon allocations to
ecosystems would benefit threatened bear populations at the cost of reduced long-term yields. To resolve
this conflict, we propose an EBFM goal that values fisheries and bears (and by extension, the ecosystem)
equally. To explore other management options, we generate tradeoff curves that provide stock-specific
accounting of the expected loss to fishers and gain to bears as more salmon escape the fishery.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
4:40 pm
LITTLE BROWN BATS IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA HIBERNATE IN HOLES:
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SPREAD OF WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME
Karen Blejwas1, Michael Kohan1, Laura Beard2, and Grey Pendleton1
Alaska Department of Fish and Game and 2Wyoming Game and Fish
1
Little brown bats in eastern North America typically hibernate in caves and mines, often in large numbers,
however few large hibernacula have been identified in the western part of their range and none have been
found west of the Rocky Mountains. We used radio-telemetry to identify hibernation roosts of little brown
bats in Southeast Alaska. We captured and radio-tagged adult little brown bats in September and early
October in Juneau, Alaska and radio-tracked them daily from the air and on the ground. We located 10
hibernation roosts on 2 nearby ridge systems; distances from the capture site to the roost ranged from 1.3
to 24.1 km. Two roosts were under root wads on level ground at elevations ≤ 86 m. The remaining 8 roosts
were rock roosts located on steep, forested hillsides at elevations ranging from 128 to 452 m. At least 1 roost
was used in successive years. We compared winter temperatures and relative humidity inside (~0.3 – 0.5
m from the opening) and outside of 4 roosts located in 2013. Relative humidity dropped as low as 40-60%
outside of roosts, but remained near 100% within the roosts throughout the winter. Average temperatures
were also higher and more stable inside the holes (-1.04 to 2.03 °C) than outside (-2.33 to -0.63 °C). If roosting
solitarily in holes in the ground is a common overwintering strategy of little brown bats in the west, western
populations should be much less vulnerable to White-nose Syndrome than their eastern counterparts.
Poster Session and Mixer (6:00 pm - 10:00 pm)
LOCAL TRAPPING AS PREDATOR CONTROL IN RURAL ALASKA: POTENTIAL
AND LIMITING FACTORS IN ALLAKAKET AND ALATNA
Heidi Hatcher
Alaska Department of Fish and Game and University of Alaska, Fairbanks alumni
Aerial wolf control is a controversial wildlife management strategy in the state of Alaska. The State of Alaska
began conducting aerial wolf control around the rural villages of Allakaket and Alatna in February 2013 per
the request of local residents. Traditionally wolf trapping was a commonly practiced activity in Allakaket and
Alatna. Currently, wolf trapping levels there are very low. Using a modified analytic induction methodology,
this study developed four propositions and four subsequent hypotheses to identify the factors that have
led to the decline in wolf trapping in Allakaket and Alatna and to investigate if local trapping could be
increased as a means of predator control. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 residents of
Allakaket and Alatna to gather data relevant to the propositions and hypotheses. A codebook was developed
and Randolph’s Free-Marginal Multirater Kappa was calculated to reveal an acceptable level of inter-coder
reliability of each code (k ≥ .80). Codes were used to organize data from each interview and the data were
then used to test the hypotheses. Two hypotheses were rejected and three propositions were modified
in some way to reflect the data gathered through the interviews. The resources or motivation to organize
an increase in local trapping appeared to be lacking within the community while a generation gap was
identified that seems to limit the ability of the community to connect potential trapping students with
teachers to revive and perpetuate the local tradition of trapping.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDING EFFECTS OF OVERWINTERING MALLARDS (ANAS
PLATYRHYCHOS) ON THE CHENA RIVER FAIRBANKS, ALASKA
Alexandra Lewis* and Jessica McLaughlin
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
1
Since 1995, the Mallard population overwintering on the Chena River has increased exponentially resulting
in a high population density. We suspect supplemental feeding by a local non-profit organization is the cause
of this increase of Mallards and the residual effects may negatively impact the Chena’s ecosystem as well as
increasing the potential spread of diseases. Our objectives are to assess the overall faunal biodiversity along
the river and monitor the microbial communities and water chemistry in benthic areas for seasonal changes.
While our preliminary water chemistry results show no difference in pH, ammonia, or nitrates through the
course of the river, our plate counts of bacteria grown from the sediment samples showed up to a onehundred fold increase in bacterial colonies. To gain an accurate estimation of waterfowl, we performed point
counts in December 2014 which showed an overwintering population of 450 Mallards and 12 Common
Goldeneyes. With further investigation we will continue to monitor the Mallard population and would like to
investigate the correlation between the Mallard and Common Goldeneye populations.
NEW EFFORTS TO ASSESS WOLVERINE ECOLOGY IN NORTHERN ALASKA
Martin Robards1, Ryan Klimstra2, Audrey Magoun, Justina Ray1, and James Lawler3
Wildlife Conservation Society, 2North Slope Borough, Department of Wildlife Management, 3National
Park Service
1
Wolverines in the lower 48 states were considered for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act because
of their low numbers and vulnerability to climate change. However, this listing proposal was withdrawn
because insufficient information regarding wolverine ecology limited the ability of the United States Fish
and Wildlife Service to determine how and when wolverine will respond to a changing climate. While some
might regard Alaska as a refuge for wolverine, very little is known about this elusive species and its status.
Wildlife Conservation Society, in partnership with North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management
and National Park Service has initiated a new program that seeks to understand the conservation needs
and mitigate threats to wolverine in northern and northwest Alaska. Our initial approach centers on a
comprehensive aerial survey of wolverine occurrence across the NPR-A and southern foothills of the Brooks
Range in the early spring—an approach proven elsewhere to provide the best understanding of range use
and relative abundance. Our spatial data will be augmented with local and traditional knowledge collected in
partnership with local experts and wildlife managers. We will then build on our core surveys and summaries
of local knowledge to include a range of focused collaring and genetic projects to gain a comprehensive
understanding of wolverine ecology across the region, including vulnerability to various threats. We will take
advantage of the availability of historical data on wolverines from the 1980s in this region to help document
any changes in wolverine occupancy and relative abundance.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
AN AUTOMATED DATABASE SYSTEM FOR WILDLIFE TELEMETRY DATA
Christopher Swingley and Alexander Prichard
ABR Inc. - Environmental Research and Services
The growing use of telemetry collars results in large numbers of animal locations that need to be ingested,
screened for erroneous locations, organized, and mapped. We developed a system that performs these steps
automatically when the data are retrieved, and that provides many automated and interactive views of the
data. Data are downloaded weekly and ingested into the database using Python scripts that process the raw
telemetry data formats. Internal PostgreSQL database functions and integrated Python scripts uniquely flag
all locations that occur outside the collaring window, after mortality occurs, or outside the spatial range of
the animals, and all locations that fail a fix interval-specific Distance-Rate-Angle filter. Data attributes such as
season, turn angle, speed, and best location per duty cycle are automatically added using spatially-enabled
(PostGIS) database functions, and views of the data, including maps of current locations, are linked to a
secure website. The website includes forms that allow managers to modify animal-specific information such
as mortality date and collaring status. Updates to animal status and improvements to screening algorithms
are automatically incorporated in the database when data are imported. Satellite uploaded data are easily
replaced by final data after collar retrieval. This system provides an easily updated and accurate dataset with
wide flexibility for screening locations, conducting spatial analyses, automatically producing maps, and
adding additional attributes. The data in the database can be easily imported or read directly with a variety of
database, statistical, and spatial software packages.
MONITORING COLLARED PIKA (OCHOTONA COLLARIS) IN TOMBSTONE
TERRITORIAL PARK, YUKON
Piia Kukka*, Mike Suitor, Alice McCulley, Cameron Eckert, and Thomas Jung
Yukon Department of Environment
North American species of pika (Ochotona spp.) are considered ideal indicator species for climate change,
because of their sensitivity to warm temperatures, climatic fluctuations and the natural isolation of suitable
habitat. Given their susceptibility to climate change, Collared Pika (O. collaris) are listed as Special Concern in
the Canadian Species at Risk Act. During 2013, we examined 73 patches of talus for Collared Pika occupancy
in Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon. Our aim was to further evaluate the feasibility of occupancy surveys
for Collared Pika, develop naïve occupancy estimates for this species in the park, and compare the results
with a similar survey done in 2009. Collared pika are an ideal species of occupancy surveys because they
live in discrete habitat patches and detectability is relatively high. Collared Pikas were observed on 50.7%
of 73 sites surveyed. Occupancy of 46 sites surveyed in both 2009 and 2013 suggested a 15% decline in site
occupancy during the 4-year interval. The reason for the apparent decline is unknown. Because Collared
Pika populations may naturally fluctuate between years, multi-year surveys would be required to assess the
annual variability in site occupancy and identify population trends. Population trend monitoring by means of
patch occupancy surveys can assist in determining the conservation status of Collared Pikas, and serve as a
window into the potential impact of climate warming on alpine ecosystems in northern Canada and Alaska.
Similar surveys across their range will be necessary to track distribution-wide patterns in occupancy.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
SEASONAL PREY SELECTION AND DIET OVERLAP OF RED FOXES (VULPES
VULPES) AND COYOTES (CANIS LATRANS) IN DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND
PRESERVE, ALASKA
Jamie Rose*
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Coyotes colonized Alaska about 100 years ago and are known to compete with foxes sharing the same
habitat. Coyote populations have been increasing, but the extent to which their diet overlaps with red foxes
in Alaska is not yet known. Because the two canid species are sympatric, how this diet selection varies is
of interest. I used scat samples collected over several years in Denali National Park, Alaska to investigate
the summer versus winter prey selection among coyotes (Canis latrans) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Both
species rely heavily on snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) as well as carrion. By analyzing prey remains in the
scat to determine the types and amounts of prey consumed, I compared diet diversity and overlap. Voles
and snowshoe hares made up a large portion of the red foxes’ diet in both seasons, while coyotes consumed
mainly snowshoe hare and carrion year-round. Coyotes had a slightly more diverse diet than foxes during
both summer and winter, and the overlap was greater in the winter season. Because both species eat carrion
from wolf kills, this information could be important when considering effects of wold control on other
mesocarnivores.
ECOLOGICAL IMPACT OF SPAWNING PACIFIC SALMON (ONCORHYNCHUS SPP.)
ON THREE MAJOR PREDATORS IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA
Michael Godin1* and David Tallmon2
University of Alaska Fairbanks and 2University of Alaska Southeast
1
Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) provide substantial marine derived nutrients and biomass to freshwater
ecosystems along the Pacific coast. In Alaska, three major consumers of salmon and their eggs are brown
bears (Ursus arctos), glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens), and coastrange sculpin (Cottus aleuticus).
Our study examines some of the behavioral impacts of Pacific salmon on these predators in Berners Bay,
Alaska. We will examine spatial and temporal use of Berners Bay by brown bears and glaucous-winged
gulls during the salmon spawning migration. Using ArcGIS, previously collected brown bear telemetry data
will be overlaid with salmon run timing as unique runs enter individual watersheds. Glaucous-winged gull
relative abundance throughout the bay will be recorded during the 2015 salmon spawning migration to
estimate gull movements into and within Berners Bay. Quantifying the distribution of bears and gulls relative
to spatially and temporally varying salmon runs will help us infer how these predators track this ephemeral
resource. This research will help us understand changes in the phenology of salmon consumers as salmon
populations shift their migration timing in response to changing physical conditions.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
IMPROVING BODY CONDITION AND RESOLUTION OF ANEMIA IN WOOD
BISON (BISON BISON ATHABASCAE) CALVES
Vanessa Santana*, Kimberlee Beckmen, and Tom Seaton
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game maintained an increasing herd of wood bison (Bison bison
athabascae) captive for 4 years longer than the anticipated 2 year quarantine prior to reintroduction. Calves
and yearlings in poor body condition underwent a treatment to improve health. Twenty-five young bison
were blood sampled prior to (January 2014) and after treatment (March 2014). The treatment included
injections of ivermectin (parasiticide), oxytetracycline (antibiotic), selenium, vitamins B1, B12 and E. A copper
bolus was also administered. A complete blood count and serum chemistry including blood urea nitrogen,
creatinine, calcium, total protein, albumin, globulin, glucose, phosphorus, total bilirubin and cholesterol was
conducted at University of Alaska Fairbanks Animal Resources Center. Selected trace minerals concentrations
(copper and iron) and thiamine were detected in serum and selenium in whole blood at Wyoming State
Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Prior to treatment, red blood cell indices indicated a mild anemia (low
mean red blood cell volume, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin) as compared to the normal ranges
of plains bison. After treatment there was a trend in the red blood cell indices indicating a resolution of the
anemia and significant increase in mean platelet volume. Prior to treatment the mean selenium (x¯ = 0.122
ppm) was at the lower limits of the normal range for cattle. After treatment there were significant increases
in blood selenium, serum iron and copper. Most importantly, mean body condition scores increased by 4%
indicating a positive response to the treatment regime. Individuals continued to improve over 12 months.
FACTORS AFFECTING DISTRIBUTION OF CARIBOU AND FOX DENS IN
NORTHWESTERN ALASKA 2013-2014
Ryan Klimstra1, Alex Prichard2 and Matt Macander2
North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management and 2ABR Inc. Environmental Research and
Services
1
There is increasing potential for development in northwestern Alaska, due to interest in offshore oil leases in
the Chukchi Sea, but baseline data on use of the area by caribou and arctic fox is limited. In 2013 and 2014,
the North Slope Borough conducted aerial transect surveys of a 3,447 km² area between Wainwright and
Atqasuk, Alaska, in early–mid June to determine the distribution of and density of caribou during calving and
in July to determine the number and distribution of fox dens. We used bootstrapping and resource selection
function analyses to compare the locations of caribou groups and fox dens to the availability of different
habitat types and physiographic and remote sensing variables within the survey area, including slope,
elevation, terrain ruggedness, distance to coast, distance to rivers, and median NDVI values and median date
of snowmelt, both based on high-resolution 30 m pixels from Landsat data. The estimated density of caribou
was 0.81/km² in 2013 and 0.36/km² in 2014. The estimated density of fox dens was 0.076/km². Caribou were
distributed in areas that were higher elevation, and had lower terrain ruggedness, higher NDVI values, and
more Moist Tussock Tundra. Fox dens were located in areas that were closer to rivers, had higher slopes,
lower elevations, higher terrain ruggedness, earlier snow free date, higher NDVI values, and less Wet Sedge
Meadow. The best models for both caribou and fox den distribution included a mix of habitat, physiographic,
and remote-sensing variables.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
CURRENT RESEARCH ON TRICHINELLA PREVALENCE AND GENOTYPES
AMONG ALASKAN CARNIVORES
Kimberlee Beckmen1, Detiger Dunams-Morel2, Dolores Hill2 and Benjamin Rosenthal2
Alaska Department of Fish and Game and 2Animal Parasitic Diseases Lab, Agricultural Research Service,
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1
Trichinellosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease acquired by consuming raw or improperly cooked meat
containing encysted muscle larvae nematodes in the genus Trichinella. T. nativa infects Alaskan wild
carnivores. Seventeen cases from nine human outbreaks were reported in Alaska from 2005-2014. Outbreaks
typically occur in non-resident hunters consuming undercooked bear meat, but an outbreak among 29
native subsistence consumers of a walrus was documented in 1975. Here, we examined 126 carcasses
sampled during necropsy or predator control actions in 2012-2014 from arctic fox (N=61), black and brown
bears (27 and 17, respectively), wolves (15), 3 lynx, 1 coyote and 1 wolverine to determine the prevalence of
Trichinella and genotypes. Masseter muscle (n=118) and tongue (n=11) samples were digested in pepsin-HCl
and larvae were collected by sedimentation. Prevalence rates were ~31% for North Slope arctic fox, 47% in
brown bears (GMU19A, 26B, 20C, 13E), 40% in wolves. Four to 493 larvae were recovered, the most numerous
occurring in individual arctic fox, brown bear and wolves. Larval numbers did not increase with age. Most
infections in brown bears and wolves were attributed to the T6 genotype, and others to T. nativa. T6 was
recovered from the wolverine. No infection was detected in black bears, lynx or coyote, even those sympatric
with infected brown bears and wolves. Freeze-resistant Trichinella occupy a wide geographic and host range,
and consumers of undercooked game encounter significant risk for infection, not just at the higher latitudes
but also in southcentral Alaska.
SPECIES LIMITS IN HOARY MARMOTS AND THE THREATENED OLYMPIC
MARMOT
Mahout Sorlin* and Link Olson
University of Alaska Museum, Mammal Department
Since the late 19th century, the Olympic marmot (Marmota olympus)—found only in the Olympic
Mountains of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula—has been recognized as a different species from the more
broadly distributed but ecologically similar hoary marmot (Marmota caligata). Its description was based
on a combination of pelage (fur) color and cranial characteristics. Additional diagnostic cranial features
(Hoffman et al. 1979) and a distinct chromosomal formula (Rausch & Rausch 1965, 1971) have since been
proposed. However, the validity of these traits is questionable and new genomic evidence suggests a close
relationship—and possible gene flow—between M. olympus and hoary marmots from the Washington
Cascades (M. c. cascadensis). Olympic marmots are declining due to increased predation by coyotes and loss
of habitat due to climate change (Griffin et al. 2008). Facilitated translocation of individuals from another
population could constitute a viable management plan (Griffin et al. 2009). If hoary marmots from the
Washington Cascades are capable of interbreeding with Olympic marmots, they could be used to enhance
the viability of Olympic marmot populations. To determine this relationship, all previous characteristics
differentiating these species must be revisited. I am re-examining published craniodental characters with
modern morphometric methods, using the large collection of marmot specimens at the University of Alaska
Museum and elsewhere. This will complement research being done by my advisor, Dr Link E. Olson, and his
graduate students on the genomic and pelage differences in these purported species of marmots.
Wednesday, April 15
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Special Session 2: Alpine Ecology and Management
(8:00 am - 11:40 am)
Session Chair: Kevin White
The Alaska Chapter of the Wildlife Society is sponsoring a special session focused on biodiversity, biophysical
change, and patterns and processes in alpine ecosystems. Specifically, the session will feature presentations
from various speakers about ongoing and completed research related to physical processes and the
distribution and ecology of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants in alpine and associated habitats in Alaska.
The overall session is to synthesize existing knowledge of alpine ecosystems in coastal Alaska in order to
better understand issues, such as climate change, that may have direct implications for conservation of this
sensitive and unique environment. Please contact the session coordinator if you would like more information.
8:10 am
HIGH AND GREEN: PATTERNS IN ALPINE VEGETATION IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA
Kitty LaBounty
University of Alaska Southeast Sitka
A summary of the vegetation analysis from the ADF&G Baseline Community Surveys of Alpine and Subalpine
Habitats in Southeast Alaska will be presented. Ten sites in four broad biogeographic regions of southeast
were sampled. Sites included postulated glacial refugia and a variety of bedrock types. These sites captured
a snapshot of the north-south, east-west variation in plant geographical distribution; several range
extensions were recorded for plants and lichens. The 220 sample plots were assigned to a Viereck Level III
classification based on life form canopy cover and dominant species. Ericaceous dwarf shrub and dry forb
herbaceous were the most frequently encountered types of vegetation in the survey. Southeast Alaska’s
different floristics present some challenges when trying to apply the existing level III classification system
our alpine vegetation. A Proposal for an additional Level III type where Luetkea pectinata dominates and
some tentative level IV or V vegetation types will be discussed. These well documented plots represent an
opportunity for long term monitoring of the effects of climate change on alpine vegetation in Southeast
Alaska.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
8:30 am
TEMPERATURE CHANGE AND LAPSE RATE IN THE WESTERN CHUGACH
MOUNTAINS: IMPLICATIONS FOR ALPINE AND SUBALPINE SPECIES
Roman Dial and Christina Rinas
Alaska Pacific University
South-central Alaska in June, July, and August has warmed 0.11oC per decade since 1950, implying an
expected vertical rise in a temperature-critical process of 80 m from 1972 to 2012. We used orthorectified
aerial imagery from 1972 and 2012 to investigate tall (>1.5m) shrub rise in a 1,365 ha area on Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson 300-1,000 m asl. By digitizing, classifying, and then randomly sampling with 2,000
points, we identified the upward advance of tall (> 1.5 m), woody vegetation (both trees and shrubs)
using simple logistic regression. In 1972, the probability that a random point fell in a tall-woody vegetation
polygon was 50% at 648 m asl; in 2012, the elevation of 50% probability was 695 m asl, a rise of 47 m. The
probability of a random point falling in a tall shrub polygon was best fit by quadratic regression in both years.
The elevation of maximum probability that a random point was shrub advanced upwards by 81 m. Shifts in
low and dwarf shrubs likely parallel the shifts in tall shrubs with consequences for alpine specialists including
the collared pika (Ochotona collaris) and Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli) in the Western Chugach Mountains.
8:50 am
TIMBERLINE FOREST UPWARD ADVANCE FACILITATED BY MICROSITES AND
DISTURBANCE
Adelaide Johnson1 and Alan Yeakley2
University of Alaska Southeast and 2Portland State University
1
Although climate warming is generally expected to facilitate timberline upward advance, tree regeneration
will be hindered by extremes in substrate temperature, substrate moisture, radiation, and snow
accumulation. To better predict factors promoting regeneration in the alpine treeline ecotone, we summarize
characteristics of regeneration at pristine timberline-alpine meadow borders both locally (Juneau,
AK), regionally (Pacific Northwest, PNW), and globally. Our specific objective was to determine roles of
disturbance and microsite availability for seedling regeneration. Locally, seed limitation and soil disturbance
were examined at 60 - 0.5m2 plots randomly treated with seeds and soil scarification. In the PNW, associations
among forest disturbance, tree regeneration, radiation, site moisture, and plant stomatal conductance were
assessed at six sites over a regional precipitation gradient. Globally, relationships among annual precipitation
and annual temperature were evaluated following determination of dominant microsites types. In Juneau,
Alaska, seedling regeneration was greatest in alpine meadows with minor soil disturbance. In the PNW,
highest seedling densities at timberline-alpine meadow borders were associated with sites having greatest
volumetric water content, greater temperature, and greater number of growing degree hours. Globally, five
microsite types found to facilitate tree growth included objects, convexities, concavities, topographic (aspect
and slope related), and wood microsites. Microsite type varied significantly by annual precipitation and
annual temperature with object and topographic microsites generally found at warmer locations and wood
and convexity microsites located at cooler sites. Our research indicates that minor disturbance and proximity
to microsites may ameliorate local growth limitations facilitating slow upward advance of timberline.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
9:10 am
SMALL MAMMAL SURVEYS IN ALPINE AREAS OF SOUTHEAST ALASKA
Karen Blejwas1 and Joseph Cook2
Alaska Deptartment of Fish and Game and 2University of New Mexico, Museum of Southwestern Biology
1
Most surveys and studies of small mammals in Southeast Alaska have focused on low elevation, forested
habitats and the upper elevational ranges of most species in the region are not well understood. During
July, 2010, 2011, and 2013, we trapped small mammals at 10 alpine sites in Southeast Alaska. Two vole
species, long-tailed voles and root voles, comprised 61% of all captures and 1 of the 2 species was present
at all sites except Etolin and Baranof Islands. Northern red-backed voles were trapped in small numbers at 2
sites on the northern mainland and southern red-backed voles were captured on Etolin and Revillagigedo
Islands. At least 1 of 2 shrew species (masked shrew and dusky shrew) was trapped at every site, although
they comprised only 22% of total captures. Four other species (American water shrew, northern bog
lemming, arctic ground squirrel, and ermine) were trapped at 1 site each. The northwestern deermouse
was widely distributed and trapped at 6 sites, but was abundant only on Prince of Wales, where it ranged
well above treeline to the top of the trapline (1,115 m). The 2 sites with the highest diversity (6 species)
were on Revillagigedo Island and the mainland near Haines. Baranof and Chichagof Islands had the least
diversity with 1 and 2 species respectively. Bats were detected acoustically with bat detectors at all sites; all
calls that could be identified to species were little brown myotis except for a single California myotis call at
Heintzleman Ridge in Juneau.
9:30 am
PHENOLOGICAL PLASTICITY IN AN ALPINE HIBERNATOR, THE HOARY
MARMOT
Catherine Rubin1* and Link Olson2
University of Alaska Museum and University of Alaska Fairbanks, Department of Biology and Wildlife
and 2University of Alaska Museum
1
Alpine hibernators provide excellent models to study the impacts of climate change on phenology because
of the accelerated rates of change in alpine ecosystems. We are studying plasticity in hibernation phenology
(timing) in North America’s most broadly distributed alpine mammal, the hoary marmot (Marmota caligata).
This purportedly alpine species has been seen foraging on beaches in the Juneau area over a month
before the spring emergence of alpine marmots hibernating only a few kilometers away. This contradicts
recent findings in a closely related species whose hibernation phenology appears to be largely genetically
determined (Zervanos et al. 2010). There are no published accounts of hibernation duration in hoary
marmots. As part of an ongoing study of hoary marmot ecology and biogeography, we are implanting data
loggers and radio transmitters in marmots from throughout their known range to test for latitudinal variation
in hibernation timing. This will include marmots from sea level and the alpine at multiple sites around Juneau
and Douglas Island to determine the degree of plasticity in a supposedly genetically determined trait in the
face of ongoing gene flow.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
10:20 am
PREDICTED SHIFTS IN SMALL MAMMAL DISTRIBUTIONS AND BIODIVERSITY
IN THE ALTERED FUTURE ENVIRONMENT OF ALASKA
Andy Baltensperger1* and Falk Huettmann2
University of Alaska Fairbanks and National Park Service and 2University of Alaska Fairbanks
1
Climate change is acting to reallocate biomes, shift the distributions of species, and alter community
assemblages in Alaska. Predictions regarding how these changes will affect the biodiversity and interspecific
relationships of small mammals are necessary to pro-actively inform conservation planning. We used a set
of online occurrence records and machine learning methods to create bioclimatic envelope models for 17
species of small mammals (rodents and shrews) across Alaska. Models formed the basis for sets of speciesspecific distribution maps for 2010 and were projected forward using the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change) A2 emissions scenario to predict distributions of the same species for 2100. We found that
distributions of cold-climate, northern, and interior small mammal species experienced large decreases in
area while shifting northward, upward in elevation, and inland across the state. In contrast many southern
and continental species expanded throughout Alaska, and also moved down-slope and toward the coast.
Statewide community assemblages remained constant for 15 of the 17 species, but distributional shifts
resulted in novel species assemblages in several regions. Overall biodiversity patterns were similar for
both time frames, but followed general species distribution movement trends. Biodiversity losses were
pronounced in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and Seward Peninsula while the Beaufort Coastal Plain and
western Brooks Range experienced modest gains in species richness as species distributions shifted to form
novel assemblages. Quantitative species distribution and biodiversity change projections should help land
managers to develop adaptive strategies for conserving dispersal corridors, small mammal biodiversity, and
ecosystem functionality into the future.
10:40 am
PTARMIGAN IN THE MIST: SURVEYING BIRDS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST
ALASKA ALPINE
Catherine Pohl
Pohl Biological Consulting
Naturally fragmented and subject to changing climate, the mountains of the Alexander Archipelago and
the adjacent southeast Alaskan mainland host a thinly documented and potentially vulnerable avifauna.
Observational data and collections are sparse and limited to areas near population centers. To address this
gap, bird surveys were conducted during a recent multi-year biodiversity inventory of southeastern Alaska
high elevation habitats, highlighting differences between mainland and island sites and documenting use by
passerines, waterfowl, shorebird, snow-associated and cliff-nesting species.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
11:00 am
ALPINE THERMAL DYNAMICS AND ASSOCIATED CONSTRAINTS ON THE
BEHAVIOR OF MOUNTAIN GOATS (OREAMNOS AMERICANUS) IN SOUTHEAST
ALASKA
Jeffrey Frederick1*, Sanjay Pyare2, Kevin White3, Todd Brinkman1, and Kris Hundertmark1
University of Alaska Fairbanks - Department of Biology and Wildlife, 2University of Alaska Southeast, and
3
Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Division of Wildlife Conservation
1
Many Dall’s sheep populations in Alaska and the Yukon Territory experienced poor lamb productivity in 2013,
presumably as a result of a cold, late spring. This effect appears widespread, and poor productivity in many
ranges may have contributed to declines in total numbers over the last 20-30 years. Although Dall’s sheep
populations in some areas recovered somewhat following regional declines in the early 1990s, numbers
never fully rebounded. These recent data suggest a need for long-term monitoring and investigation of
environmental and other factors affecting population dynamics. This presentation summarizes recent trends
in abundance and composition for Dall’s sheep on state-and federally owned lands in the Brooks, Alaska,
Kenai and Chugach Ranges in Alaska. It also highlights ongoing monitoring and research efforts conducted
by federal agencies in collaboration with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
11:20 am
COMPARATIVE ECOLOGY OF MOUNTAIN GOATS IN COASTAL ALASKA
Kevin White
Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Division of Wildlife Conservation
Mountain goats are among the least studied large mammals in North America and, in most parts of their
range, basic knowledge about the species ecology is needed to advance conservation efforts. Mountain goat
populations are often isolated at relatively small geographic scales. Consequently, simultaneous study of
discrete populations provides an opportunity to further our knowledge of factors that influence mountain
goat ecology. In this study we examine the comparative ecology of 6 genetically distinct mountain goat
populations in coastal Alaska. We collected data from 270 radio-marked mountain goats during 2005-2014 in
order to examine how ecological characteristics varied between populations. Specifically, we analyzed data
relative to nutrition, morphology, migration strategies, reproduction, survival and population dynamics in a
comparative context. Overall, we detected differences in ecological characteristics of certain populations that
appear to be related to winter climate, carnivore community assemblage, genetic isolation and population
history. These findings are important for describing the natural variability of the quasi-archipelagic mountain
goat populations in coastal Alaska and have key implications for informing site-specific conservation
strategies.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
GENERAL SESSION (11:40 AM - 12:00 PM)
Session Moderator: Kevin White
11:40 am
USING CIRCUIT THEORY TO REWIRE ROADS FOR WILDLIFE
Kerry Nicholson1, Andreas Seiler2, Mattias Olsson3, and Mats Lindqvist4
Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 2Grimso Wildlife Research Station, Sweden, 3EnviroPlanning,
4
Swedish Transport Administration
1
Anticipated population growth and ongoing road improvements, coupled with resounding concern for
maintaining landscape connectivity for wildlife populations has generated increasing interest in developing
wildlife infrastructure crossing management tools. Yet, currently there is limited technical guidance
or decision-support tools on evaluating the impact of implemented wildlife mitigation measures on
region wide scale. Procedures for mapping connectivity across large areas such as state wide, provinces
or ecoregions are limited and are still under development. Our study provides a method to describe
the ecological flow in the landscape and the effect of wildlife passages to increase the connectivity for
ungulates and large carnivores. We evaluated connectivity using Circuitscape; a program that measures the
electrical current or the theoretical ecological flow in the landscape for ungulates and large carnivores as
model species groups. We evaluated the connectivity by creating an “idealized” resistance landscape one
in which major infrastructure (i.e., highways) did not exist and would not impede animal movement. Next,
we incorporated infrastructure with proposed wildlife friendly passages. With this tool, we were able to
identify geographical boundaries along the highway where it may be desirable and effective to implement
mitigation measures for wildlife. We were able to assess the distance in which a particular wildlife passages
affected the ecological current. The use of Circuitscape is an effective tool to visualize landscape patterns and
ecological flow for a variety of different species groups. However, the method needs further evaluation to be
fully applicable to mitigation planning.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
SPECIAL SESSION 3: LANDSCAPE AND POPULATION GENETICS
(1:30 AM - 2:50 PM)
Session Chair: Tania Lewis
The Population and Landscape Genetics session will explore population, landscape, and conservation
genetics of wildlife species in Alaska. Presentations will highlight the latest wildlife research on genetic
population structure as well as the integration of spatial and genetic data to answer basic and management
questions. Talks will cover topics of conservation, evolution, biogeography, phylogeography, geographic
variation, and current molecular techniques. This session will include both invited and contributed papers,
and interested parties are invited to submit an abstract for an oral or poster presentation on population,
landscape, and conservation genetics in Alaska. Please contact the session coordinator if you would like more
information.
1:30 pm
CONTEMPORARY GENETIC STRUCTURE OF BROWN BEARS (URSUS ARCTOS) IN
A RECENTLY DEGLACIATED LANDSCAPE: GLACIER BAY, ALASKA
Tania Lewis1, Sanjay Pyare2, and Kris Hundertmark3
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, 2University of Alaska Southeast, and 3University of Alaska
Fairbanks
1
Southeast Alaska has a long, complex history of advancing and retreating glaciers and changing sea level
throughout the Pleistocene and into the Holocene. We used DNA microsatellites of 105 brown bears to
examine contemporary genetic structure of brown bears in a recently deglaciated landscape to identify
the number and geographic range of populations, the level of admixture, landscape features that limit
or promote genetic connectivity, and probable population sources of bears in Glacier Bay following the
end of the Little Ice Age. We identified the number of genetically distinct populations and the degree of
admixture using Bayesian allele frequency assignment tests, determined colonizing population sources
based on fixation and differentiation indices, and tested correlations between the genetic relatedness and
a suite of landscape models. The shoreline of Glacier Bay hosts brown bears from at least two distinct
genetic populations which may represent contemporary colonizing sources. There is also indication of a
third group endemic to Glacier Bay that may represent a historic colonizing population. The three genetic
groups overlap in northern Glacier Bay although the extent of admixture between the groups is relatively
low, indicating recent or current immigration. Glacier Bay fjord appears to inhibit dispersal and funnels
recolonizing bears from east and west refugia in a northward direction. At the northern end of Glacier Bay
these populations are currently coming into secondary contact after hundreds and possibly thousands of
years of separation, creating a population-level biological contact zone.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
1:50 pm
SOURCE-SINK DYNAMICS AND BARRIERS TO GENE FLOW IN ALASKA RED
FOXES
Kris Hundertmark, Elizabeth Goldsmith and Karsten Hueffer
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Red foxes occur statewide in Alaska and are a spillover host for rabies, so their population structure and
patterns of gene flow are important information for trying to understand the potential for rabies outbreaks
to spread into Interior Alaska. We studied variation in 9 microsatellite loci in 257 red foxes collected across
the entire state except southeastern Alaska. Spatial principal components analysis identified 5 regional
populations (Southwest, Seward Peninsula, North Slope, Interior, and Southcentral), which were distinct
when using discriminant analysis of principal components. Based on those 5 populations, we estimated
recent migration between populations with the Bayesian software BIMr. We found that migration rates
between tundra habitat (Southwest, Seward Peninsula, and North Slope) and boreal habitats (Interior,
Southcentral) were much less then rates between populations within those regions. This suggests that
tundra and boreal regions may harbor distinct units of foxes, which is borne out by Fst values. This also lends
support to the idea of tundra and boreal ecotypes of red fox. Model selection using reversible-jump MCMC
analysis selected a model with boreal/tundra as a variable 80% of the time versus a null model. Fifty percent
of genetic variance was explained by the tundra/boreal model. With limited gene flow from tundra to
boreal regions, red fox does not appear to be a great threat to be a rabies vector across regions. Finally and
interestingly, Southcentral was a complete source for foxes, receiving no migration from any population.
2:10 pm
DISTRIBUTION AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF THE ALASKAN HARE
Michelle Cason1*, Travis Booms2 and Link Olson1
University of Alaska Museum and 2Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Wildlife Diversity Program
1
The Alaskan hare (Lepus othus) is the largest lagomorph in North America but remains one of the most
poorly studied terrestrial mammals on the continent. Its current distribution is restricted to western Alaska
south of the Brooks Range, but anecdotal historical accounts from the North Slope have led to confusion in
determining its past, present, and predicted future distribution. To clarify the historical range of L. othus, we
surveyed North American museum collections, georeferenced voucher specimens, and collected additional
specimens from poorly-sampled regions in western Alaska. Using mitochondrial DNA and craniometrics,
we examined the extent of gene flow and intraspecific morphological variation within L. othus throughout
its range. We also located a specimen purportedly from the North Slope that has long been presumed lost
and whose identity had come to be questioned. Despite the rediscovery of this specimen and the anecdotal
accounts, we conclude that there is insufficient evidence to include the North Slope in the current or recent
distribution of the Alaskan hare. This research provides information for better understanding and managing
an Alaskan endemic that is facing a warming Arctic, an expanding tree- and shrubline, and increased
industrial development.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
2:30 pm
GENOMIC DIVERSIFICATION OF MESO-CARNIVORES (MUSTELA ERMINEA AND
MARTES SPP.) ACROSS NORTHWESTERN NORTH AMERICA
Jocelyn Colella1, Sandra Talbot2, Charlotte Lindqvist3, and Joseph Cook4
University of New Mexico, Biology Department, 2U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center,
University of Buffalo, Department of Biological Sciences, and 4Museum of Southwestern Biology,
University of New Mexico, Biology Department
1
3
Natural hybrid zones provide a unique opportunity to investigate introgression, hybridization, and
divergence - processes that directly impact speciation, conservation and management of biological diversity.
We are using both classical genetic and next-generation sequencing technologies to understand the
evolutionary history and consequences of historic climate-induced range shifts on the evolution of the arcticadapted North American ermine (Mustela erminea) and the forest-adapted marten (Martes spp.) complex.
Ermine, the most widespread terrestrial carnivore in the Arctic, form a contact zone in southeast Alaska
between four genetically and morphologically distinct groups including one (M. e. haidarum) considered
endangered by the Canadian federal government. Similarly, marten form endemic populations in southeast
Alaska and hybrid populations, in this case along the northern Rocky Mountains and on Kuiu Island in
Southeast. As fur-bearers, both species are of high economic value but delineating lineage distributions
was obscured by past translocation activities, and the impact of those translocations on endemic M. caurina
populations is unclear. Fully understanding genetic relationships of insular and mainland populations
provides a foundation for the formulation of management prescriptions. Analysis of genomic sequences
will be used to delimit species and quantify mitochondrial selection across thermal gradients (temperate
vs. arctic) while morphological data will be investigated for diagnostic species characters. Here, data from
complete mitochondrial genomes and a suite of nuclear loci (N=8) from both species are examined for over
95 individuals to form robust phylogenies, resolve taxonomy and refine distributional boundaries with the
potential for assesses the extent of hybridization.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
GENERAL SESSION (3:20 AM - 5:10 PM)
Session Moderator: Grant Hilderbrand
3:20 pm
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SNOWSHOE HARE HERBIVORY AND WHITE SPRUCE
ESTABLISHMENT ON THE TANANA RIVER FLOODPLAIN, ALASKA
Justin Olnes* and Knut Kielland
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Snowshoe hares are a dominant herbivore of the boreal forest, and are known to affect vegetation dynamics
during peak phases of their population cycle. We investigated the effect of snowshoe hare herbivory
on the establishment and growth of white spruce seedlings at the Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological
Research (BNZ-LTER) site near Fairbanks, Alaska. White spruce individuals were measured inside browse
exclosures and in adjacent control plots. We measured changes in the height to age ratio of white spruce
in relation to browse history. Individuals were also measured at 13 additional sites in order to reconstruct
the age structure for young white spruce along the Tanana River at BNZ-LTER. We used linear regression
to compare the patterns in white spruce age structure to historical data of snowshoe hare abundance. We
found that exposure to browsing results in an average 3 to 4 cm year-1 decrease in the height to age ratio
of spruce seedlings. Our best model included the interaction between hare abundance and white spruce
seed production, along with flood history, and explained 40% of the pattern in age structure for young
white spruce. This interaction highlights the role played by snowshoe hares in the successional dynamics of
the boreal forest. When hares are abundant, spruce establishment is reduced. Once established, sustained
browsing by hares can suppress seedlings and increase the time required for them to become dominant
members of the forest canopy.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
3:40 pm
PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS ON MOVEMENTS AND DISPERSION OF MOOSE IN
WESTERN INTERIOR ALASKA
Thomas Paragi1, Kalin Kellie1, Matthew Warren1, Kerry Nicholson1, Joshua Peirce1, Jerry Hill2, and Bruce Seppi3
Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 2U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and 3Bureau of Land Management
1
Understanding movements and dispersion of moose in the lower Innoko and middle Yukon Rivers is
important to providing hunting opportunity, especially for local subsistence. We obtained GPS locations
from 21 female and 28 male moose during 2010-2014. To gauge moose vulnerability during potential
hunting periods (Sep-Mar), we examined proportions of locations within 0.8 km and 1.6 km of navigable
rivers, recognizing that moose hunting in winter is closed within 0.8 km of the Innoko and Yukon rivers. To
identify parturition dates for females of known reproductive history (n = 47 female-years) and movement
periods of both sexes to define range uses, we used behavioral change point analysis (BCPA) to identify
periods when moose were relatively sedentary. Both sexes were slightly more prevalent within 0.8 km of
rivers for boat access in October (52%) than in September (50%) or November (45%). Extending to 1.6 km,
prevalence increased by 39-55% for males and 19-29% for females. Considering potential (predominantly
antlerless) hunts by snowmachine in winter, we found a slight increase in male (25-34%) and female (20-29%)
prevalence from November to March in areas open to hunting. Females were substantially more prevalent
over winter months (39-47%) compared with males (17-31%) in areas closed to hunting, validating the
regulatory protection during high harvest vulnerability. BCPA validated positive and negative evidence of
parturition and further suggested that a single observation flight to estimate twinning rate roughly one week
after median calving date underestimated parturition by 14%, plausibly due to undetected calf predation
before flights.
4:00 pm
LANDSCAPE-SCALE CORRELATES OF RISK PERCEPTION IN FREE-RANGING
MOOSE
Kevin Colson1, Kris Hundertmark2, and Kevin White1
Alaska Department of Fish and Game and 2University of Alaska Anchorage, Institute of Arctic Biology
1
Risk of predation can play an important role in altering the behavior of prey species. Traditional metrics of risk
have focused on landscape patterns of utility and mortality, and assume that individual behavior is correlated
with patterns of relative risk across the landscape. However, behavioral strategies are influenced by multiple
factors and often involve trade-offs which can result in apparent mismatches between actual risk and animal
behavior. In this study, we tested hypotheses about how moose perceive predation risk at the landscapescale. Specifically, we non-invasively measured physiological stress responses (via fecal cortisol) in female
moose (Alces alces) during 2011-2012 on the Gustavus forelands, Alaska. We found significant differences
between winter and summer levels of cortisol. During summer, increasing distance from road and forest
canopy cover are positively correlated with physiological stress, while increasing forest edge density is
negatively correlated with physiological stress. Sampling date and reproductive status are not clearly
related to physiological stress. Our results partially support the “human shield” hypothesis such that moose
stress responses were lowest in areas closer to human activity (closer to roads). However, our results do not
clearly support the “forest refugia” or “edge effect” hypotheses of risk perception. Instead, moose exhibited
lower responses in areas with high edge density. Finally, our results support hypotheses relating to forest
complexity and maturation to perceived risk. This study highlights the ability of hormonal data to address
complex ecological hypotheses.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
4:00 pm
THE APPLICATION OF ANIMAL-BORNE VIDEO CAMERA WITH GLOBAL
POSITIONING AND STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS TO EXAMINE THE ECOLOGY OF
A TOP PREDATOR
Christopher Brockman1*, Bruce Dale1, William Collins1, Jeffry Welker2, and Donald Spalinger2
Alaska Department of Fish and Game and 2University of Alaska Anchorage
1
Brown bears (Ursus arctos) have been identified as major predators on neonate ungulates in many systems in
North America, especially in Alaska. The degree to which kill rates vary among individuals has not been well
documented, due primarily to an absence of effective tools to examine fine scale behavior and diet selection
by large carnivores in their natural habitats. We used high-resolution, neck-mounted cameras, combined
with store on board Global Positioning (GPS) and Stable Isotope Analysis (SIA) to examine ungulate kill rates
and diet selection. Seven cameras recorded audio, video, and associated GPS locations of brown bears in
South Central Alaska in May and June 2011-2013 during the six week period following ungulate parturition
when moose and caribou calves are most vulnerable. About 3% of the more than 36,000 video samples
were unusable due to darkness or an obscured lens. The overall quality of the video samples was high and
most diet items were identifiable to species or food type. Ungulates, primarily calves, comprised 71% of the
observed diets of all seven bears. Median handling times for moose and caribou calves were 60 minutes and
40 minutes, respectively, indicating the difficulty in assessing kill rates using other methods of observation
having lower sample frequencies. Observed feeding proportions were used to interpret SIA models. The SIA
allowed for increased sample sizes and broader scale population inferences on diet proportions.
4:40 pm
ALASKA’S WILDLIFE HEALTH AND DISEASE SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM
Kimberlee Beckmen
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Wildlife Health and Disease Surveillance Program has evolved
over 40+ years into a comprehensive and collaborative effort to fulfill the wildlife conservation mission of
the Division of Wildlife Conservation. Despite limitations such as minimal staff, lack of in state diagnostic
facilities, reduced funding and expansive geographic area, significant advances within the framework of a
One Health concept continue. Collaborations with a network of international researchers and diagnosticians
is critical especially for pathogen discovery. The public, not just hunters/trappers, as well as biologists/
technicians do much of the actual ‘work’ of obtaining samples or carcasses for both active and passive
disease surveillance. Surveillance for new pathogen introductions such as from domestic animals, as well
as changes in disease exposure, prevalence, and population health assessments are ongoing. The program
efforts focus on zoonotic diseases/parasites, pathogens that have the potential to significantly impact
the health or reproduction of important game, keystone or threatened species/populations, emerging
pathogens expected to be introduced and spread with globalization and climate change. Recent work
includes discovery of new parasites and pathogens of moose, muskox, wood bison, caribou and Steller sea
lions; Development of in house diagnostic capabilities for rabies and brucellosis; the detection of multiple
introductions and establishment of several dog tick species that are potential vectors of deadly diseases;
successful field treatment to eradicate dog lice on Interior wolf packs; health assessments of Steller sealions,
muskox and caribou; development of improved anesthetic protocols for sealions, caribou, moose, muskox
and wolves.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Thursday, April 16
Northern Furbearer Conference
General Session 1 (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
Session Moderator: Howard Golden
9:10 am
WOLVERINE FORAGING IN NORTHERN ALBERTA
Matthew Scrafford* and Mark S. Boyce
University of Alberta
Wolverines (Gulo gulo) are a low-density carnivore with a circumpolar distribution. Wolverine ranges and
populations in North America have declined as a result of displacement from agriculture, urbanization, and
industrial development. In Canada, wolverines are considered a species of Special Concern while in Alberta
wolverines May be at Risk. Both national and provincial assessments relate the paucity of data available to
make accurate population assessments and a concern for the effects of industrial development on wolverine
ecology. Over the last two winters, we live-trapped, radio collared, and tracked wolverines throughout two
field sites in northern Alberta (Rainbow Lake and the Birch Mountains). Our goals were to understand the
effects of industry on wolverine movement, foraging, density, and den site selection in the boreal. This paper
will focus on initial results of wolverine foraging in the boreal. Wolverines are traditionally described as
scavengers of ungulate carcasses, with small prey being a secondary means of sustenance. For researchers,
wolverine predation is a much more difficult to document because events are short in duration and therefore
evidence of kills quickly disappear if not quickly visited. In Rainbow Lake, however, we have benefited
from excellent access into wolverine habitats because of industrial roads. Because of improved radio collar
technology (e.g., daily locations delivered by email) and the above noted access, we have been able to
regularly visit the GPS clusters of wolverines to document foraging locations and food habits. Here we report
on the strong relationship we have discovered between beaver and wolverines.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
9:30 am
COYOTE AND RED FOX DIET COMPOSITION IN RELATION TO WOLVES IN
INTERIOR ALASKA
Kelly Sivy*, Casey Pozzanghera, and Laura Prugh
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The coyote (Canis latrans) is a relatively recent addition to Alaska’s mesopredator guild. Because of their
generalist diet and ability to exploit many habitats, increased coyote populations could have implications
for furbearers with overlapping resource requirements, like the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Wolves (Canis lupus)
provide carrion provisions to coyotes and red foxes, which could further influence diet partitioning and
competition when prey is scarce. To characterize coyote and red fox diet composition in response to wolf
presence and small prey availability, we collected and processed 624 coyote and red fox scats winter 20132014 in two study areas representing natural (Denali National Park) and reduced (upper Susitna River
basin) wolf populations. We hypothesized diet overlap between coyotes and red foxes to increase with
wolf presence as a result of both species increasing selection for carrion in their diet. Scats contents were
identified using microscopic evaluation of hair and bone fragments and recorded as frequency of occurrence
and volume of each prey item in scats. Availability of small prey (snowshoe hares and voles) was monitored
from 2012-2014 and carrion availability was estimated based on reported wolf densities. Snowshoe hares,
voles, and carrion were the predominant prey items in both coyote and red fox diet. Diet overlap was high in
both study areas, with both canids exhibiting high selection of carrion during a low period in the snowshoe
hare cycle. These results suggest the importance of wolves in provisioning mesopredators when availability
of small prey is scarce.
9:50 am
RESOURCE SELECTION AND ASSIMILATED DIETS OF MARTENS IN A MANAGED
FOREST ON KUIU ISLAND, SOUTHEAST ALASKA
Carl Koch1*, Rod Flynn1, Merav Ben-David2
1
Alaska Department of Fish and Game and 2University of Wyoming
Theory predicts animals will select resources that benefit fitness. We investigated resource selection and
assimilated diets by martens (Martes americana and M. caurina) on northern Kuiu Island in southeast Alaska
during 2007-2012. Over 12% of the study area is affected by clear-cut logging with various phases of precommercial thinning. Using VHF telemetry data, we developed a resource selection function (RSF) with
program R. The best RSF model (based on AICc criteria) contained the following variables: stream density,
distance from shore, elevation and all three forest volume classes.We found that elevation had a strong
negative coefficient of selection while high-volume forest had a strong positive coefficient. We also estimated
a relative index of marten dietary biomass using Bayesian stable isotope mixing models from values (C and
N) of live-captured marten (hair) and potential prey items (muscle). Although vole(Microtus longicuadus)
abundance was chronically low throughout the study, deer mice fluctuated annually. We found that Pacific
salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) biomass occurred in high proportions in the fall diets of martens during all years
of our study. Despite fluctuating deer mice (Peromyscus keeni) numbers, diet analysis showed low deer mice
biomass. Seasonally available salmon carcasses are an important alternative food source in what is likely
an otherwise food stressed marten population. Martens avoided upper elevations and distance from shore
while selecting for productive forest and increasing density of class I salmon streams.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
10:40 am
MESOCARNIVORE OCCUPANCY PATTERNS IN ALASKA’S INTERIOR
Casey Pozzanghera*, Kelly Sivy, and Laura Prugh
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The integral role that mesocarnivores play within an ecological community has been well documented. Shifts
in mesocarnivore species composition can cause cascading effects throughout an ecosystem. Describing
what factors cause those shifts can help managers understand the resulting community wide impacts. We
used occupancy modeling to examine the influence of several environmental factors on current occupancy
patterns of coyotes (Canis latrans), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), lynx (Lynx canadensis), wolverine (Gulo gulo), and
marten (Martes americana) within interior Alaska. We predicted that habitat type would have a significant
influence on specialist species’ occupancy (lynx and marten) and a lesser impact on generalist species. We
predicted that increasing snow depths would result in decreasing occupancy probabilities for all species
other than lynx, and that increased snow compaction would result in increased occupancy for canids.
We found that increasing snow depth positively influenced wolverine and marten occupancy, and had
a negative impact on coyote, lynx, and red fox. Increased snow compaction had a positive influence on
coyotes and red fox. We found no support to suggest that habitat had a species specific effect on occupancy.
Wolverines had the highest occupancy among study species (0.61, SE= 0.12) and marten had the lowest
(0.18, SE= 0.05). Our results suggest that snow conditions are the most influential predictor of mesocarnivore
occupancy. Snow conditions may become more variable across years as climate shifts continue throughout
the arctic. Changing snow conditions may result in species compositions shifts within the mesocarnivore
guild and, ultimately, community wide cascading effects.
11:00 am
WOLVERINE IN A SNOW-FREE SPRING -- HABITAT OCCUPANCY IN ALBERTA’S
BOREAL FOREST
Robert Anderson1, Bill Abercrombie2, Brian Bildson2, and Doug Manzer1
Alberta Conservation Association and 2Alberta Trapper’s Association
1
Due to their low densities and elusive nature, wolverines (Gulo gulo) have been notoriously difficult to
study with traditional research methods. The development of remote-camera technology, however, has
not only expanded opportunities for researchers to study wolverine populations in novel ways; it has
also enabled citizen scientists to make meaningful contributions to our knowledge base for the species.
Working in partnership, the Alberta Conservation Association and Alberta Trappers’ Association initiated
a study to examine wolverine occupancy in the province, where analyses of harvest data and trapper
traditional knowledge failed to show a significant relationship between wolverine presence and factors
previously believed to be important for wolverine persistence. Using a run-pole method, bait and camera
sites were established and monitored throughout the winter by trapper volunteers on their Registered Fur
Management Areas. We present the results of this study and compare and contrast our findings to important
predictive variables for wolverine occurrence in other geographic areas. Although boreal wolverine
occurrence was found to be associated with Boreal Highland natural subregion types and inversely related
to road density and proximity to human settlements, wolverines were not associated with areas of persistent
late spring snow cover, which has been proposed as forming a bioclimatic limitation for the species. Other
variables such as seismic line density and proximity to protected areas were not significant. Our results
shed new light on the habitat associations of this species, and raise questions about what other aspects of
wolverine ecology might be unique for boreal animals.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
11:20 am
MODELLING LANSCAPE USE AND TRAVEL CORRIDOR CHANGES OF WOLVES
(CANIS LUPUS) IN THE NELCHINA BASIN DURING INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT
Tony Carnahan1, Todd Rinaldi1, Howard Golden1, and Grant Hilderbrand2
Alaska Department of Fish and Game and 2National Park Service
1
Human activity has been linked to changes in wolf (Canis lupus) movement and landscape use. We
investigated the effects of intensive management on wolf movement and habitat use in the Nelchina
Basin, Alaska using Step Selection Function (SSF) and corridor models. Step Selection Function models
incorporate turn angle and step lengths (distance between two successive GPS locations) and other
covariates (landcover, slope, aspect, known trails or waterways, etc.) into habitat selection. Travel corridors
are measured by turn angle, speed, and repeated use. We used GPS locations from twenty-eight collared
wolves from several packs to examine changes in landscape and travel corridor usage by wolves before and
after implementation of intensive management.
11:40 am
USE OF WOLVERINE ACTIVITY DATA TO TEST FOR POTENTIAL BIAS IN
POPULATION ABUNDANCE ESTIMATES
Howard Golden, Michael Harrington, David Saalfeld, and Earl Becker
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Quadrat sampling of tracks in snow have been used to estimate wolf and wolverine abundance in several
areas of Alaska and Canada. The sample unit probability estimator (SUPE) technique uses quadrat sampling
with stratification to derive population estimates. When survey protocols are carefully followed and
assumptions are met, the SUPE generally produces robust estimates with high precision (e.g., coefficients
of variation ≤ 10%). However, wolverine behavior is such that one important assumption cannot be verified
during survey sampling: that “all animals of interest move during the course of the study.” Movement data
from two GPS-collared wolverines indicated that some individuals might not move far enough following a
fresh snowfall for observers to see their tracks from the air, which could result in estimates that are biased
low. To test for this bias, we initiated a study to measure wolverine activity and movement during late winter
and early spring, the period best suited to conduct a SUPE relative to snow conditions and ambient light.
We captured 18 wolverines and attached GPS collars that gathered location data at 20-minute intervals. We
present results of our on-going analyses of the wolverine’s mean daily movements, the potential number of
quadrats they might have traveled through, the patterns of their movements over time, and the potential
need for correction factors to account for bias and to improve SUPE estimates.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
General Session 2 (1:30 AM - 4:30 PM)
Session Moderator: Kevin Colson
1:30 pm
POPULATION DENSITY ESTIMATES OF WOLVES AND MARTEN IN SOUTHEAST
ALASKA USING SPATIALLY-EXPLICIT CAPTURE-RECAPTURE MODELS
Jason Waite
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Spatially-explicit capture-recapture (SECR) models are an extremely useful and flexible extension of
traditional capture-recapture methods for studying animal populations. Data sources can include live
trapping, DNA sampling, acoustic recordings, proximity detectors (e.g., camera trapping), or any other
related field method that record occurrences of uniquely identifiable individuals. Unlike traditional
capture-recapture methods that estimate population size within an ambiguously-defined region, SECR
methods can provide spatially-heterogeneous estimates of density in a well-defined area of interest. We
examined the spatial distribution and population density of wolves on Prince of Wales Island using DNA
data collected from non-invasive hair snares from October to December, 2013. A total of 21 animals were
detected from 33 samples, with 1-3 detections per individual. Wolf density was estimated 24.5 ± 6.8 wolves
per 1000 km2. We also examined the spatial distribution and population density of marten live-trapped on
northern Kuiu Island, 2011-2012, as a function of habitat characteristics and resource selection functions
(RSF) by incorporating SECR models with independently-developed RSF models. Models that accounted for
behavioral changes, site-specific capture probability, and sex and age classes were explored. In 2011, a total
of 27 individuals were identified over 39 captures, and 24 individuals were identified over 34 captures in
2012. Density estimates for the two years averaged 36.6 ± 17.9 marten per km2.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
1:50 pm
SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIATION IN RIVER OTTER DENSITIES ALONG THE
SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA COAST
Adi Barocas1*, Howard Golden2 and Merav Ben-David1
University of Wyoming and 2Alaska Department of Fish and Game
1
Estimating the abundance of animal populations is an important goal of wildlife research, with implications
for management strategies. The demographic status of river otters in coastal Alaska is of interest to managers
due to their value in the fur trade and because past research has demonstrated that these carnivores are
sensitive to variation in environmental conditions. Between 2009 and 2014, we performed 6 river otter
population surveys in 4 different coastal areas of southcentral Alaska. We collected genetic samples of
feces and hair from latrine sites and subsequently performed DNA extraction and genotyping using 9
microsatellite loci. We used two approaches to model river otter abundance: a non-spatial Full Likelihood
closed captures model and a spatially explicit capture-recapture model. With both approaches, our study
design, including 35-80 latrines, surveyed during 6-9 consecutive days, yielded sufficient recapture rates to
provide robust density estimates. In general, non-spatial models performed better in terms of parameter
accuracy. Estimates from both approaches suggested relatively high densities in Kodiak and Knight Island
and lower densities in Eaglek Bay and Kenai Fjords. For Eaglek Bay, this could be explained by higher harvest
pressure. In addition, repeated surveys suggested a significant decline in river otter density from 2009
to 2012 in the Knight Island area, and a slight decline in Kenai Fjords. Because harvest in these areas was
negligible, we postulate that this could be attributed to changes in fish availability. To conserve viable river
otter populations in these coastal areas, we recommend continuous monitoring and adaptive management
strategies.
2:10 pm
MOTIVATIONS AND DRIVERS OF INTERIOR ALASKAN TRAPPERS
Ross Dorendorf*, Peter Fix and Laura Prugh
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Understanding how effort varies among trappers, and how social issues and external factors such as human
conflict and fur prices, respectively, affect effort can give a clearer understanding of why trapping effort
changes. However, it is unclear whether motivations for trapping can moderate the relationship between
both social issues and external factors; and trapping effort. To determine the motivations of trappers,
we used a cluster analysis that revealed four groups of trappers: management (17%), recreational (39%),
subsistence (18%), and solitary (26%). The most important social issues were concerning human conflict
among trappers, and with recreationalists. The external factor concerning price of fur was not a strong
motivation to trap among all groups, which differs from other studies. Motivations did not have a moderating
affect between social issues and external factors; and trapping effort. Managers should focus their efforts on
reducing human conflicts while maximizing the non-monetary benefits of trapping.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
2:30 pm
TRAPPER, CONSERVATIONIST, OR BOTH? HOW THE DESIRE FOR A
SUSTAINABLE HARVEST CAN MOTIVATE CONTRIBUTIONS TO WOLVERINE
RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION EFFORTS
Lenore Stone1, Bill Abercrombie2, Brian Bildson2, Shevenell Webb1, and Robert B. Anderson1
Alberta Conservation Association and 2Alberta Trappers’ Association
1
In 2011, the Alberta Trappers’ Association approached the Alberta Conservation Association with the idea
of developing a citizen science project that would (1) engage trappers in collecting information on a “datadeficient” wolverine (Gulo gulo) population in one of Canada’s western provinces, (2) make a legitimate
contribution to the scientific understanding of the species and (3) produce sound management actions that
would ensure a sustainable harvest long into the future. We present the results of our analyses of provincial
harvest records for wolverine and traditional ecological knowledge from over 100 participating trappers. We
also discuss trapper motivation behind volunteering time and equipment to maintain camera stations across
large geographic areas when they are not actively trapping.
3:20 pm
IMPLICATIONS OF HARVEST ON THE BOUNDARIES OF PROTECTED AREAS FOR
WOLF VIEWING OPPORTUNITIES
Bridget Borg1*, Kira A. Cassidy2, Douglas W. Smith2, Jeffrey A. Falke3, and Laura R. Prugh4
National Park Service and University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2National Park Service - Yellowstone Center
for Resources, 3U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 4University of
Alaska Fairbanks - Institute of Arctic Biology
1
The desire to see iconic, free ranging large carnivores in their natural habitat is a driver for tourism in
protected areas around the globe. The ecotourism value of large carnivores may improve acceptability of
large carnivores to the public and contribute to conservation goals. However, large carnivores are wideranging and subject to human-caused mortality outside of the boundaries of protected areas. We examined
the relationship between the legal harvest (trapping and hunting) of wolves (Canis lupus) outside of the
boundaries of two national parks in North America and the viewing opportunities of wolves within the parks
during the peak tourist season. Wolf sightings in both Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and Denali National
Park and Preserve (DNPP) were largely driven by local population size and proximity of den sites to roads.
However, wolf sightings in YNP decreased significantly following years where a wolf from a road pack was
harvested and wolf sightings in DNPP were greater during a period with a trapping and hunting buffer zone
was established than in years without a buffer. We conclude that harvest pressure outside of protected
areas can reduce sightings. The effect may be indirect, as the relationship of the number of wolves harvested
on sightings was weak and the resilient and dynamic nature of wolf packs may obscure the direct numeric
effects of harvest of individual wolves.
* - student
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
3:40 pm
ADDRESSING COMMUNITY TRAPPING AND PET SAFETY CONCERNS IN
NORTHERN SOUTHEAST ALASKA
Stephanie Sell
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Conflicts between trappers and urban residents arise annually in Alaska. While there are some that outright
oppose trapping, much of the conflict rests with a lack of trapping knowledge and misinformation. The
publics’ perception of trapping and traps is often skewed by philosophical differences concerning trapping.
In 2012, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists in Juneau, along with local trappers, offered
a workshop to the public to help inform outdoor recreational user groups on trapping activity, furbearer
management, and self-help actions should a pet be caught in a trap or snare. Using the Alaska Trappers
Association’s “Sharing the Trails” video, additional department video clips and publications, and local
trapper expertise, the workshop has become an annual event and has expanded to other southeast Alaska
communities. While not all conflicts can be avoided the information provided by the workshop empowers
trail users and helps to create a safe and respectful environment for all outdoor enthusiast.
NFC Posters (during breaks)
WINTER HOME RANGE AND MOVEMENTS OF WOLVERINES IN
SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA
David Saalfeld, Howard Golden, Michael Harrington, and Earl Becker
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
To date, few studies have examined wolverine (Gulo gulo) home ranges and movements. More importantly,
only one study has examined these elements for wolverine populations in Alaska. Due to the low densities of
the species documented in southcentral Alaska and continued harvest, movement and home range analyses
are key for long term, sustainable population and harvest management. Winter wolverine home range and
movement data were collected from 2007-2014, through GPS collars attached to individuals captured each
winter. Between September 2007-March 2014, 7 female and 6 male wolverines were captured, marked, and
released. However, not every individual had enough locations for analysis, so home range and movements
were estimated for 5 females and 6 males.
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
THE WINTER DIET OF WOLVERINES (GULO GULO) IN THE YUKON TERRITORY
Piia Kukka1*, Jean-Francois Robitaille2, and Thomas Jung1
Environment Yukon and 2Laurentian University
1
Wolverine (Gulo gulo) diet was studied in Yukon to help better manage its prey base, its populations and
annual fur harvests, using 409 stomach contents (276 males and 133 females) obtained from fur harvests
from 2005-06 to 2011-12. Our study largely confirms the use of large (possibly scavenged from wolf and
human hunt) and medium-sized prey by both the larger-sized males and the smaller female wolverines.
Their diet was not influenced by age, although scavenging on carnivores by yearling males suggests
variable behavior and food choice. Moreover, males had a less diverse food niche breadth than females, who
included more ancillary prey such as birds, small mammals, and fish. Diet varied among years according to
spatial and temporal availability of one of the primary prey, the snowshoe hare. Wolverines also appeared
to be switching their consumption of ungulates in fall and spring to snowshoe hare during winter. They
also preferred snowshoe hare to ungulates in the Boreal cordillera, conversely to the Taiga Cordillera, where
ungulates are presumably a more abundant resource. Finally, we were able to show that the predominance
of snowshoe hare diet resulted in leaner wolverines than during an ungulate-dominated diet, suggesting the
existence of two different feeding tactics and energy budgets throughout the cold seasons. We suggest that
(a) the main drivers of wolverine diet are ungulates and snowshoe hare, and (b) in late fall and during winter,
availability of both large and medium-sized prey, especially snowshoe hare, contributes to the sustainability
of the harvest of wolverines.
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS OF HARVESTED WOLVERINE (GULO GULO) IN
YUKON, CANADA
Piia Kukka1*, Thomas Jung2 and Fiona Schmiegelow1
University of Alberta and 2Environment Yukon
1
To evaluate the impact of harvest on wolverine (Gulo gulo) in Yukon, we collected 655 wolverine carcasses from licensed fur trappers over eight years (2006-2014). Wolverines in Yukon are harvested
without quota; however, little is known about population sizes and sustainability. From the carcasses, we
determined the age, sex and reproductive status of 56-79% of the total annual harvest. The harvest was
biased on males and young animals, which is typical for harvest elsewhere. The sex ratio did not fluctuate significantly during our study; however, the female proportion of harvest was the highest in the
last two years (44% and 40%, respectively), indicating the importance of continued monitoring of the
harvest sex ratio. We discovered significant variation in the age structure of harvest among years, which
may be indicative of demographic dynamics driven by fluctuating food availability. 79% of adult females
were reproductive; the highest reproductive rate (>90%) was in females 3-6 years old. Active gestation
was evident in most (78%) reproductive females at the end of the harvest season in early March. Large
individual variability in the timing of gestation, and expected parturition, was evident in our data.
Females in the late stage of gestation, or post-partum, in our sample indicate that harvest of denning
females occurred, but it was rare. The harvest was spatially heterogeneous across Yukon, with the largest
number of wolverines harvested in the southwest. In the absence of quota, local over-harvest likely occurs, but the magnitude and impacts are unknown.
* - student
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Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting 2015
Friday, April 17
NFC WORKSHOP: NON-INVASIVE TECHNIQUES FOR MONITORING
FURBEARERS AND THEIR PREY (8:30 AM - 4:30 PM)
Furbearers and their prey present many challenges for managers and researchers to monitor population
abundance, movements, behavior, physiological responses, and more. The organizing committee for
the Northern Furbearer Conference is planning an all-day workshop to address both traditional and new
methodologies for meeting those challenges.
The workshop will be divided into an overview session of non-invasive techniques, followed by more indepth sessions. During the morning, an overview will cover the varied non-invasive tools and techniques
in use today, such as camera trapping, DNA mark-recapture, stable isotope analysis, snow tracking, linetransect/distance sampling, and fecal counts. The overview will be followed by in-depth sessions focusing on
camera trapping and DNA mark-recapture techniques. Study design, data collection, and analysis techniques
will be presented for each topic. This session will involve breakout groups to allow participants a chance to
brainstorm with the presenters and each other about the best approaches to take for provided case studies.
We are planning this workshop to be pertinent to a wide variety of wildlife interests, and we encourage TWS
participants to join us.
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