Project ID #011-11 CALIFORNIA DEER ASSOCIATION PROJECT COMMITTEE COVER SHEET PROJECT NAME: Factors Explaining the Decline of Black-tailed Deer in Northern California PROJECT START DATE: Ongoing REQUESTED CDA FUNDS: PROJECT END DATE : June 2013 $26,516.50.00 MATCHING: $521,200.00 TOTAL: $650,000.00 APPROVED CDA FUNDS: CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL: PROJECT SUBMITTED BY: Heiko U.Wittmer, U.C. Davis 1. PROJECT CATEGORY: Research 2. PROJECT COLLECTION AGREEMENT RECEIVED: _________________ 3. PROJECT COMPLETION DATE: ___________________________________ 4. PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT RECEIVED: _____________________ (Form # 3) Submit by Email Print Form PROJECT ID: #011-11 CALIFORNIA DEER ASSOCIATION PO Box 1766, Gilroy, CA 95021-1766 [email protected] Project Proposal Request Project Name: Factors explaining the decline of black-tailed deer in northern California Geographic Location: Mendocino County (+ 4 adjacent counties) Submitted by: Heiko U. Wittmer (Deer Hunt Zone): A (North) & B1 Agency or Organization: University of California, Davis Contact or Lead Person: Dr. Heiko U. Wittmer, Adjunct Professor, University of California, Davis Address: Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology, University of California, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA, 95616 Phone #: ( E-Mail: [email protected] ) 754-7640 *Type of Project: Research Project Start Date: ongoing Affected Area Size: >1 million acres Project Completion Date: June 2013 CDA Funds: $ 26,516.50 Matching Funds: $ 521,200 (since 2009) Total Costs: $ anticipated costs for entire 4-year study are approx. $650,000 Purpose of Project ** In May 2009, the University of California, Davis, and the California Department of Fish & Game (CDFG) started a detailed multi-year collaborative study to determine the factors explaining the decline of black-tailed deer in the Mendocino National Forest. The project has been primarily funded by a grant from CDFG to H.U. Wittmer totaling $454,000 over 3 years. Over the past 2 years, the California Deer Association has contributed an additional $62,200. Without this contribution, the project would have not succeeded given that CDFG had to renege on some in-kind contributions (such as provision of field accommodation and field vehicles). We are now seeking additional funding required to see the project through to completition. Description of Project ** Specific project objectives are to 1) estimate abundances, vital rates (survival, pregnancy rates) and causes of mortality for adult female deer on public lands in the Mendocino National Forest, 2) determine the rates and causes of fawn mortality on public lands in the Mendocino National Forest, and 3) quantify the relative contribution of habitat and predation on deer mortality on public lands in the Mendocino National Forest. Information developed as a result of this study will help the California Department of Fish and Game to better manage this resource and provide management information to all stakeholders interested in black-tailed deer in Annual Cost of Upkeep (Agency must maintain): n/a Digitally signed by Heiko Wittmer DN: cn=Heiko Wittmer, o, ou, [email protected], c=US Date: 2011.03.31 13:06:57 +13'00' Wittmer Applicants Signature: Heiko __________________________________________________________________ Supervisors Initials: Department Head *Habitat/Research/Equipment/ Education (Form #1 ~ Page 1) ** Use page 3 of this form if you need additional space for your proposal. PROJECT ID: #011-11 CALIFORNIA DEER ASSOCIATION Project Proposal Request (con’t) Description of Project Area (attach map, PDF ONLY): The project has focused on Mendocino National Forest (see attached map of study area). The public property portion of the study area is primarily located in Mendocino County, but also includes areas of Lake, Glenn, Tehama, and Colusa counties. Summer Range Winter Range Resident Herd Mendocino Transition How will this project enhance the deer resources?** Factors causing the observed declines of black-tailed deer remain poorly understood thus impacting our ability to implement effective management strategies. By teasing apart the potential effects of habitat degradation versus predation, we will be better able to recover deer herds to past densities. Management recommendations may include habitat enhancement as well as periodic predator reductions. Identify the specific use of CDA funds for this project: 30 VHF ear-tag transmitters fawns: (30*$208.50) = $6,241.50 10 replacement batteries GPS collars: (10*$450) = $4,500.00 10 replacement drop-off timers: (10*$290) = $2,900.00 25 DNA swab tests: (25*$515) = $12,875.00 Additional Comments: The Mendocino deer herd provides hunting opportunities and non-consumptive deer use on over 1 million acres of public land that are easily accessible from large urban areas including the San Francisco Bay area. Thus results from this study will potentially benefit a large component of California residents. Additionally, results will be published in peer-reviewed journals thus ensuring that findings from this study will serve as a model for deer management throughout California and the western regions of the United States. Note that this will be the final grant application I expect to submit to the CDA for this project. Contact person for News Release, Outreach or Local Media: Heiko Wittmer & Tavis Forrester Phone #: (530 ) 754-7640 Responsible for CEQA / NEPA: CEQA / NEPA Completion Date: (Form #1 ~ Page 2) ** Use page 3 of this form if you need additional space for your proposal. PROJECT ID: #011-11 CALIFORNIA DEER ASSOCIATION Project Proposal Request (con’t) Optional Continuation page Over the first 2 years of our study, we have successfully captured and collared 28 adult does. Our goal now is to maintain a continuous and representative sample of at least 20 collared does for the remainder of our project. GPS collars are required to estimate habitat use and home ranges of the individuals as well as to estimate survival rates and causes of mortality. Pregnancy rates are estimated based on plasma progesterone levels from blood samples collected during capture. Ages of the study animals will be estimated at the end of the project via cementum annuli methods performed on an extracted incisiform canine. In order to identify causes of mortality, detailed site investigations have been conducted as soon as possible after a mortality signal has been detected on a collared animal. So far 9 adult females have died the majority of which from suspected predation. However, we still require additional funding to use DNA techniques to identify/confirm the predator species. The rates and causes of fawn mortality will be estimated by mortality surveillance of fawns fitted with mortality sensitive ear tag transmitters. Our original goal of capturing up to 60 fawns per year proved too ambitious. Over the first 2 years of the project we have been able to capture and monitor a total of 42 fawns, 15 in 2009 and 27 in 2010. Fawns have been monitored daily for the first 3 months of their life and approximately once per week during the rest of the year. Detailed site investigations have been conducted as soon as possible after a mortality signal has been detected on a collared animal. Only 2 fawns are known to have survived to 1 year of age from the 2009/10 cohort. The majority of fawns that year were killed by predators, however, due to nearly complete consumption of predated fawns we still require additional funding to use DNA techniques to identify/confirm the predator species. Preliminary results for 2010/11 suggest much higher survival rates. As of February 2011, 11 fawns of the original 27 are still alive. Because of this large discrepancy in survival among years it is essential to add 1 year of fawn monitoring to ensure accurate estimates of mean fawn survival rates and their variability among years. The 30 ear-tag transmitters we are seeking funding for in this proposal will be deployed in June 2012. Relative predator abundances have been estimated using remote cameras in areas surrounding fawn capture areas. Camera transects were placed to gather data on predator densities in different habitat types and the relationship between predator densities and predation rates. Estimates of predator densities independent of predation rates will allow evaluation of the importance of refuge habitat as well as the relative contribution of different predator species to fawn mortalities. In addition to the capture and radio-collaring of deer, we have begun our concurrent study aimed at determining the impact of mountain lions on adult deer. One female lion has been monitored for the past 7 months. Using GPS point locations has allowed us to find a total of 16 deer carcasses killed by the collared lion. This spring we hope to increase our sample of collared lions to 6 individuals allowing us to more accurately determine the potential impact of lion predation on the resident deer population. All study animals so far have been captured and handled under the direction of a detailed Capture Plan approved by the Wildlife Program Branch and the Wildlife Investigations Laboratory. Adult deer have been captured by chemical immobilization via free-range darting. Immobilization drug protocols were approved by the California Department of Fish and Game. Fawns have been captured by hand and throw-nets. Lions have been captured utilizing houndsmen and chemical immobilization. UC Davis personnel will continue to be responsible for the collection and analysis of all field data, including a final report in the form of an article for peer review and publication in a scientific journal. We will continue to adhere to guidelines outlined in the approved capture plan. The 30 ear-tag transmitters we are seeking funding for in this proposal will be deployed in June 2012. This will ensure that we gather fawn survival information during 4 fawning seasons. A fourth season of monitoring fawn survival is required to determine if the low fawn survival in year 1 was an outlier. Eighteen of our previously purchased GPS collars will drop-off from does this fall. Money requested in this proposal will be used to refurbish 10 of these to ensure we will maintain a representative sample of collared does until the project is completed. Finally, money from this proposal will go towards confirming causes of deer mortalities using DNA analyses. (Form #1 ~ Page 3) ** Use page 3 of this form if you need additional space for your proposal. PROJECT ID: #011-11 Tehama County DFG Region 1 Mendocino County DFG Region 1 Covelo Glenn County DFG Region 2 Lake County DFG Region 2 Willits Colusa County DFG Region 2 10 miles Study Area Location Legend Mendocino National Forest Capistran Ranch (Bob Lashinski) Summer Camp Ranch (Rich Padula) Eden Valley Ranch (Albert Seeno) Study Area (approx. 1,050 square miles) ¸