Habitat selection and changes in the white-tailed and black-tailed prairie dog population within the Northern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming

2009·2.1 MB·English

by  Harrell, Destin

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y Cover photo (white-tailed prairie dog) and all other photos except as noted by:
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, Destin Harrell, BLM Cody Field Office
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l Suggested Citation:
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n Harrell, D., and L. Marks. 2009. Habitat selection and changes in the white-tailed
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d and black-tailed prairie dog population within the northern Bighorn Basin,
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il Wyoming, Technical Note 431. U.S. Department of the Interior. Bureau of Land
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- Management, Cody Field Office, Wyoming. BLM/WY/ ST-09/031+1110. 16 pp.
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By: N
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Destin Harrell t
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Wildlife Biologist r
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Bureau of Land Management B
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Cody Field Office, Wyoming h
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Lisa Marks B
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Geologist si
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Bureau of Land Management , W
Cody Field Office, Wyoming y
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WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK Joe Capodice, e
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retired biologist for the BLM. He helped o
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inspire our prairie dog survey. Steve Kiracofe
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was a big help for the soil survey analysis as u
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was Richard Lowry with statistical questions. t
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Field crew members who were kind enough n
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to collect much of the data for this publication it
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include Brian Latta, Bill Palmeroy, Katie in
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VinZant, and Darci Stafford. Dean Biggins, h
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Dennis Saville, Bob Oakleaf, and Martin N
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Grenier offered much helpful advice and t
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review. Bill Wilson was always there for r
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GPS and GIS data processing. Mike Stewart B
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was generous in offering reviews, ideas, h
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and support. Kathy Rohling and Janine n
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Koselak at the National Operations Center a
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contributed invaluable efforts by editing, n
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arranging, and drawing original artwork for
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this paper. And finally, thanks to the Bureau m
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of Land Management’s Cody Field Office g
staff and management for helping with this
collaborative effort.
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ABSTRACT ...................................vii e
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INTRODUCTION................................1 P
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STUDY AREA ..................................3 a
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METHODS ....................................5 w
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RESULTS......................................7 n
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Population Demographics ....................7 e
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Habitat Associations .........................9
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DISCUSSION..................................11 r
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LITERATURE CITED ............................15 g
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WITHIN THE NORTHERN BIGHORN BASIN, decrease in the mean active town area. approximately 2.0 km. Towns appear to be e
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Wyoming, prairie dog (Cynomys) survey Declines in occupied area for the Meeteetse significantly associated with saline upland, o
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data collected between 1980 and 1989 were Metapopulation (87 percent) were greater loamy, sandy, shallow loamy, and shale P
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compared with data from a 2001–2005 than declines for the remaining population range sites (P < 0.0001). White-tailed prairie p
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survey. From these data, distribution, (Basin Metapopulation - 39 percent). There dogs were also significantly associated a
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activity level, and habitat selection based was also a very small population of black- with precipitation zones (P < 0.0001) and o
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on range site and precipitation categories tailed prairie dogs (C. ludovicianus) that may prefer the 20.3–25.4 cm (8–10 in) w
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were analyzed. Overall, the white-tailed increased 8 percent to 77.4 ha (191.3 ac). precipitation zone even though they th
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prairie dog (C. leucurus) population declined Density of active burrows declined were more common in the 12.7–22.9 cm n
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in distribution and activity. Occupied active significantly (P < 0.006) for the Basin (5–9 in) precipitation zone. Other variables e
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area decreased 71 percent from 7,031.8 ha Metapopulation. The mean nearest not measured also likely contribute to the
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(17,374.9 ac) to 2,011.5 ha (4,970.6 ac); neighbor distances separating white-tailed observed distribution of white-tailed prairie t
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there was also a 37 percent decrease in prairie dog towns for both surveys were dog town site selection. r
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active town abundance and a 55 percent B
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