counting wolves & other carnivores (with a little help from our friends) jane e. wiedenhoeft...
TRANSCRIPT
Counting Wolves &
Other Carnivores(with a little help from our friends)
Jane E. Wiedenhoeft
Sarah Boles
Adrian P. Wydeven
Welcome to Wisconsin Welcome to Wisconsin Volunteer Carnivore Volunteer Carnivore Tracking ProgramTracking Program
Who made this trail?
Who Can Become
a
Volunteer
Tracker?INDIVIDUALS GROUPS Outdoor
enthusiasts Families
Retirees Conservation
organizations Hunters &
Trappers School groups
What’s Expected of
Volunteer Trackers?
1. Attend training -
Wolf Ecology Workshop
Track Training Course
Wolf Ecology Workshops
Wisconsin CanidsF4 h4 C
Gray Wolf
Coyote
Dog
Red Fox
Gray Fox
Track Training CoursesTrack Training Courses
State of Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources Carnivore Track SurveyBox 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921 Form 1700-052 (R 7/03) Page 1 of 2
Volunteers are an essential part of the Wisconsin Carnivore Tracking Program ’s success. We appreciate your hard work and dedication.Thank you for participating.
Notice: Use this voluntary form to monitor and report carnivore tracking activities. Information reported to the Department will be used for research andmanagement purposes. Personally identifiable information is not intended to be used for other purposes. Wisconsin’s Open Records law requires theDepartment to provide this information upon request [ss. 19.31 - 19.69, Wis. Stats.].
Observers Sarah R. Boles Sheet __1_____ of ___2____
Survey Information Weather and Track InformationSurvey Block Counties (List all counties tracked) Snow Depth New Snow Depth on Road
38 Ashland 28" total 2" f resh 2"
Pack Name or General Area Temperature (at start of survey) Time of Last Snowfall (In hours if less than 48, else days)
Torch River 10 48 hrs.
Begin Survey (Also indicate on accompanying map) Cloud Cover x 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Section Township Range E / W
28 42 N 4 Past Weather Precipitation (Last 24 Hours)
Survey Date Start Time End Time Hi: 30 Low: 5 0 2-1-02 0800 1545 Track Conditions Poor x OK Good Excellent
Canids: C =Coyote D =Dog F=Fox W =Wolf Mustelids: B =Badger FI=Fisher O=Otter S=Skunk Felids: BC = Bobcat CT = Cat L = Lynx PM = Puma Other: BR = Bear BV = Beaver P = Porcupine R = Raccoon
Roads and Direction of Travel Mileage Canida Mustelids Felids Other Notes and Comments
GG & FR 335 N .0 335 1.2 1 FFR 335 & FR 168 N 2.5 168 2.8 1 FI " 3.1 2 W Enter f rom E >24 hrs " 3.7 Sec. 11 T42N R4W " 4.2 1 F (F 4.5"x3.75", 4"x3.8") " 4.5 1 FI Stride 38" " 5.0 1 FI TW's exit to [email protected] 168 & Hwy. 77 E 5.2
Hwy 77 & FR 170 S 8.1 170 8.3 Lots of snowmo. traffi c " 8.5 1 W Crossed E W <12 hrs " 8.8 1 BCFR 170 & FR 168 W 11.1 168 12.2 2 W Crossed S N ~12 hrs.FR 168 & FR 335 S 12.5Backtrack to GG
Hwy GG S 15.0 Not Trackable
Hwy GG & FR 164 E 18.2 Logging Operation, Lots
Totals Deer sign
Track Test
What is Expected of Volunteer Trackers?
1. Attend training
2. Conduct 3 good track surveys following DNR guidelines
What is Expected of Volunteer Trackers?
1. Attend training
2. Conduct 3 track surveys
3. Notify coordinator of 1st wolf, or any other rare species tracks you encounter
Rare Mammal Observation Card(Use for Timber Wolf, Cougar, Lynx, Moose & Marten)
Observer: Description of Animal: Name_________________________ Estimated Size_____________________Address_______________________ Tail Length (stub, 1/4 body, 1/2 body,______________________________ long as body):____________________Phone( )______________________ Track Size: Length______Width_______Observers Background:___________ Coloration______________________________________________________ _________________________________No. & Species___________________ Other Descriptions__________________Sex______Adult_____Young_______ _________________________________Location: GPS________/__________ Photo Taken______________________ Sec_______Twn______Range______ General Comments_________________County_________________________ _________________________________Road & Nearest Town_____________ ________________________________________________________________ _________________________________Habitat_________________________ Reviewed by______________________Date & Time_____________________ Agency______Phone( )____________
Code: PB PS NL
Jane Wiedenhoeft
VT
2 wolves - tx
16 37N 1E
PriceCross Cut Rd.
1 mi. east of Phillips
Went into tag alders along creek 11-7-03, ~8:00 a.m.
4” 3.5”
Yes - attachedTx of 2 wolves crossed
the road traveling along the creek. Scat on road.
715 762-3204
Park Falls DNR
What is Expected of Volunteer Trackers?
1. Attend training
2. Conduct 3 track surveys
3. Notify coordinator of 1st wolf, or any other rare species tracks you encounter
4. Turn in results of your surveys on time
Goals
1. To determine wolf numbers, distribution, breeding status, & identify wolf packs.
Changes to Wisconsin Gray Wolf Population:
1980-2004335
373
108
25 21 27 19 17 15 16 1828 31 34 40 45 40
57
8399
148
178
205
248257
327
94
5 5 4 5 4 4 5 5 67 11 12 13 12 14 18
2835
4757
66 7081
1980 '81 '82 '83 '84 '85 '86 '87 '88 '89 1990 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 2000 '01 '02 '03 '04
No. of wolves
No. of packs
Goals1. To determine wolf numbers, distribution,
breeding status, & identify wolf packs.
2. To develop an index of the abundance and distribution of other carnivore species.
Goals
1. To determine wolf numbers, distribution, breeding status, & identify wolf packs.
2. To develop an index of the abundance and distribution of other carnivore species.
3. To determine the existence of rare carnivores such as lynx & puma.
• More wolves in more places
• Limited # of DNR trackers
• No extra
• Initially from wolf ecology workshops
• Personal contacts
• News articles
• Radio
• Pamphlet
• Website
How Many Volunteers?
From 1995-2003
> 450 volunteers
> 5,000 hours
> 40,000 km
Winter Track Surveys in Wisconsin by WDNR and Volunteers
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000M
iles
surv
eyed
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
VolunteersDNR
Survey Blocks Tracked by
DNR &
Volunteers 2003-2004
Can we use the Data Volunteers Collect?
Tracks Detected/100 miles (1995-2000)
Co-surveyed blocks
Untrained volunteers 54% of WDNR rate
Trained volunteers 70% of WDNR rate
Wolf Detection Rates Volunteer vs. DNR Trackers
in Co-Surveyed Blocks
Surveys KmMean
Wolves/100km S.D.
Volunteers 684 23,904 4.429 4.885
DNR 443 13,944 5.961 6.798
Paired T-Test N=176 2-tailed Sig. = 0.005
Wolf Detection RatesDNR vs. Volunteer Trackers
With Varying Experience
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Mea
n W
olve
s/10
0 k
m
None <40 40-80 >80
Volunteer Experience (hrs)
Volunteers Mean Rate DNR Mean Rate
P=0.003
HOW DO WE USE VOLUNTEER DATA?
To provide information for survey blocks DNR trackers don’t survey
To alert DNR to wolf activity in new areas
To help estimate the state’s wolf population, distribution, and breeding status when volunteers have adequate training & experience
PACK COUNTS 2003
Block PACKCurrent Count
Pilot Observ.
DNR Tracker Vol. Tracker Public Observ.
92 Ada Lake 2 2(winter,obs)P.Harrison
57 Augustine Lake 5 5(1/30 RLU) SB
70 Averill Creek 4 4(3/21) JW 5 (RLU 2/22)Wissink
25 Bearsdale 4 4(1/21 RLU)SB
34 Beaverdam Lake 2 2-3 (2/19 RLU , SB) 3-4(3/8tx)J.Rudloff
28 Bibbon Swamp 8 0(3/2) SB&AW 8(3/3 RLUw/bl 2/22)) Tutland1(2/10obs)E.Westlund
9 Bird Sanctuary 5 5(2/17) 3(2/15) R.Wilson 1(2/15obs)R.Wilson
37 Black Lake 4 2(12/3) 4-5(1/21 RLUw/bl)Moe
20 Blue Hills 2 2(3/5) JW 0(3/5)R.Anderson
53 Bootjack Lake 7 8(2/4) 0(2/14)JW 3(2/23 RLU) Ericksen2(3/21tx)G.Rublee
• More survey blocks
• More training
• Proving the data is useable
• Communication
• Regional coordinators
Where do we go from Here?
• More volunteer administration
• Recognitions
• Certification of trackers?
• Changes in wolf monitoring
• Population estimate vs. counts