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1 WY-SRM & WY-TWS Joint Conference November 15-17, 2016

Wyoming Section, Society for Range Management

&

Wyoming Chapter of The Wildlife Society

November 15-17

Cody, Wyoming

2016 Joint Annual Conference Partnerships in Range and Wildlife: Honoring the Past, Leading into the Future


Sponsors Sketching for Artists Workshop Sponsors

Poster Session Sponsor Break Sponsor

Tradeshow and Other Sponsors

WyomingSeedCertificationService

Cover photos: Otters and Pronghorn: Scott Copeland


Welcome

Welcome to the 2017 Joint Conference between the Wyoming Chapters of the Society for Range Management and The Wildlife Society in scenic Cody, Wyoming. This conference brings together researchers, students and land managers for three days of talks, workshops, films, field trips, and social gatherings. Above all, we hope that you are able to use this time to learn from each other -- to share ideas about research, management, and restoration and to promote collaborative science and land management that results in healthy and resilient landscapes for Wyoming’s wildlife and people.

Our conference begins with plenary talks intended to set the stage for our theme: Partnerships in Range and Wildlife: honoring the past, leading into the future. Following the plenary we have over 50 oral presentations, 25 posters, 4 workshops, 2 field trips, and several evening events. WY-TWS and WY-SRM will also be sponsoring an evening social to coincide with poster presentations, the Quiz Bowl contest at Millstone Brewery, SRM Student Event and Pro/Am Contest and a TWS Mentor Lunch. Our closing banquet this year will be held at the Cody Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Artist James Prosek will share his thoughts on migrations and his work on the Invisible Boundaries exhibit. James will be followed by the auction, awards, and the Woodbelly bluegrass band from Colorado.

We are especially excited to offer a drawing workshop, sketching for scientists, by Bethann Merkle designed to bridge left and right hemispheres and bring creative thinking into your work. The links between art and science have been recognized for centuries. The celebrated nineteenth century scientist Alexander Von Humboldt famously asserted that science is “not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry.”

We truly hope that you enjoy this joint conference and the diversity of offerings – to learn, to exchange ideas with colleagues, to socialize, and to get outside!

Holly Copeland & Mae Smith


Agenda Overview TUESDAY 8:00 – 12:00 11:00

TWS Board Meeting SRM Council & Committee Meetings Registration Opens

1:00 – 2:45 Plenary Session 2:45 – 3:00 Break 3:00 – 5:40 Science Talks and SRM Workshops 5:45 – 8:00 Poster Session & Social 7:00 – 8:30 8:30 – 9:00

Riders of the Range Film and Discussion Free to Roam Film

WEDNESDAY 7:00 – 8:00 SRM Student Event & Pro/Am Contest TWS President’s Breakfast 8:00 – 12:00 Science Talks and SRM Workshops & Student Events 12:00 – 1:00 Lunch on your own OR TWS Mentor Lunch 1:00 – 5:00 Science Talks and SRM Workshops & Student Events 6:00 – 9:00 Quiz Bowl at Millstone Brewery

THURSDAY 7:00 – 8:30 SRM Student Event & Pro/Am Contest 8:30 – 12:30 8:00 – 12:00

Heart Mountain Field Trip R Workshop

12:30 – 2:30 SRM Student Awards and Business Lunch 12:30 – 4:00 1:45 – 5:00 4:00 – 5:30

Database & Drawing Workshops Shoshone River Wildlife Field Trip Draper Natural History “Behind the Scenes” Museum Tour

5:30 – 11:00 Banquet Dinner at Cody Buffalo Bill Center of the West


Plenary Speakers Larry Butler

Talk: Livestock & Wildlife: Resource Management Conflicts or Complements?

About Mr. Butler: Larry Butler completed a 32 year career with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in 2007. He retired as Senior Executive State Conservationist in Texas. He is Owner, Executive Producer, and Host of OUT ON THE LAND – the only nationally broadcast, weekly, half-hour, natural resources conservation television series. The show is in its 4th year on the air on RFD-TV. 104 original episodes have aired 416 times.

Dr. Butler is well-respected in agricultural, wildlife, range management, and natural resource circles. He knows the subject of conservation and what it means to the producer and the public. He is nationally known by conservation and agricultural organization leaders. Dr. Butler respects private property rights and speaks to the landowners' rights and responsibilities in making decisions to take care of their lands. He is a poet, humorist, and after-dinner and motivational speaker.

Steve Buskirk

Talk: “Improving our understanding of the status and distribution of all Wyoming mammals” Sustainably managing communities and populations of Wyoming vertebrates requires, at the very least, that we know the distribution and status of each species. I will discuss some new and traditional tools for providing that knowledge.

About Dr. Buskirk: Steve Buskirk is Professor Emeritus of Zoology and Physiology at the University of Wyoming, where he spent 30 years teaching courses in mammalogy, wildlife biology, and conservation biology. He conducted and supervised research in mammalian ecology, studying species ranging from mice to bighorn sheep, and using a wide range of investigative approaches. He is the author of “Wild mammals of Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park” (University of California Press, 2016).

Joshua Millspaugh

Talk: Can big data and new technology help solve persistent problems in wildlife management?

About Dr. Millspaugh: Dr. Joshua Millspaugh began his position as the new Boone and Crockett Chair at the University of Montana in fall 2016. His research focuses on wildlife-habitat relationships, animal movements, wildlife harvest management, and population dynamics. He has 25 years of experience conducting research on big game species, including elk, bison, mule deer, pronghorn, and white-tailed deer, throughout North America. His research also has involved studies of African elephants and lions in South Africa. He has conducted research to address important management questions on a diversity of other species and topics including potential effects of wind energy development on sage-grouse in Wyoming, river turtle harvest in Missouri, and effects of land management practices on a diversity of birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Millspaugh completed his doctorate at the University of Washington in Seattle where he studied elk ecology and management in the Black Hills, South Dakota.


Detailed Agenda

Tuesday, November 14 11:00 Registration Opens

Plenary Session (Main Ballroom) 1:00 - 1:10pm Introductions and Welcome. Holly Copeland, WYTWS President-Elect 1:10 - 1:20pm Introductions and Welcome. Mae Smith, WYSRM President-Elect 1:20 - 1:50pm Larry Butler: Livestock & Wildlife: Resource Management Conflicts or Complements? 1:50 - 2:20pm Steve Buskirk: Improving our understanding of the status and distribution of all Wyoming mammals

2:20 - 2:45pm Joshua Millspaugh: Can big data and new technology help solve persistent problems in wildlife management?

Break

TWS - Grassland and sagebrush environments: small mammals, songbirds, raptors, and species

interactions (Main Ballroom, Moderator: Andrea Orabona)

SRM Presentations (Taggart)

3:00 - 3:15pm Returning an endangered species home – a 35 year review of black footed ferret conservation in Wyoming

3:00 - 3:10pm

BLM

Jesse Boulerice Patricia Hatle

3:15 - 3:25pm Monitoring Wyoming’s grassland species of greatest conservation need

3:10 - 3:20pm

USFS

Andrea Orabona Jason Pindell

3:25 - 3:40pm Balancing management priorities for grassland and sagebrush birds in the Thunder Basin National Grassland

3:20 - 3:40pm

Communicating Natural Resource Management to Various Audiences

Courtney Duchardt, Jeffrey Beck, David Augustine, Lauren Porensky

Larry Butler

3:40 - 3:55pm Trapping protocol for difficult to detect small mammals

3:40 - 3:55pm

Keeping Rangelands in your Backyard

Kristina Harkins, Merav Ben-David, Doug Keinath Mae Smith

3:55 - 4:10pm

Predator-prey interactions between mountain plover, burrowing owl, and swift fox on prairie dog colonies on Thunder Basin and Pawnee National Grasslands

3:55 - 4:10pm

Outreach Case Study: Rangeland Ecology Primer for a Non-Ag Audience


Ryan Parker, Tyler Michels, Allison Pierce, Courtney Duchardt, Angela Dwyer, Michael Wunder

Glenn Ownings

4:10 - 4:25pm Raptor rehabilitation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: common injuries, species diversity and the golden eagle rescue network

4:10 - 4:25pm

Recovery of Riparian Habitat along Pete Creek in Central Wyoming

Meghan Warren, Carrie Ann Adams, Amy McCarthy Andy Warren, Thomas Powell, Chayton Bolton

4:25 - 4:40pm Golden eagle migration corridors and seasonal habitat selection in the Rocky Mountains and Western Great Plains

4:25 - 4:35pm

Update on ventenata and medusahead in Wyoming

Bryan Bedrosian, Robert Domenech, Brian Smith, Adam Shreading, Matthew Hayes

Brian Mealor

4:40 - 4:55pm Nighttime callback detections, nesting demographics, and habitat selection of great gray owls in western Wyoming

4:35 - 5:00pm

Ecological Site Description Update

Katherine Gura, Bryan Bedrosian, Beth Mendelsohn, Matthew Hayes, Susan Patla

Marji Patz & Bryan Christiansen

4:55 - 5:10pm The influence of greater sage-grouse management on golden eagles in the Wyoming basin

Jason Carlisle, Geoffrey Bedrosian, Trent McDonald

5:10 - 5:25pm Using landscape scale estimates of relative electrocution risk to inform prioritization of retrofits: an example with golden eagles

Gary Williams, Todd Lickfett, Brian Woodbridge, Tracy Jones

5:25 - 5:40pm The Wyoming Chapter of the Wildlife Society’s Fellowship Experience

Jace Cussins

Main Ballroom Taggart 7:00 - 8:30pm "The Range Riders" Film and Discussion 5:45 -

8:00pm Poster Session and Social

8:30 - 9:00pm "Free to Roam" Film and Discussion


Wednesday, November 15 7:30 Registration Opens

TWS Activities (Main Ballroom) SRM Activities (Taggart)

7:00 - 8:00am TWS President's Breakfast (Taggart 3)

7:00 - 8:30 am SRM Undergraduate Range Management Exam (URME): Pro/Am Event 1

Ungulate behavior, nutrition, and management (Moderator: Matt Kauffman)

8:00 - 8:15am

Influence of the bark beetle epidemic on elk and hunter resource selection and interaction

Bryan Lamont, Kevin Monteith, Jerod Merkle, Matthew Hayes, Tony Mong, Matthew Kauffman

8:15 - 8:30am

Adaptive management of winter elk feedgrounds in western Wyoming to reduce brucellosis prevalance in elk SRM Sage-Grouse Monitoring Workshop

(Taggart)

Benjamin Wise, Brandon Scurlock, Jared Rogerson, Eric Maichak, Cheyenne Stewart

8:30 - 8:40am

Investigating trends in elk habitat selection across time and burn severity

8:30 - 9:00am

Sage Grouse Needs & Lek Monitoring

Travis Zaffarno, Matthew Kauffman, Jerod Merkle, Aly Courtemanch, Ben Wise

Tom Christiansen (WGFD)

8:40 - 8:55am

Linking climate and habitat to nutritional condition and recruitment in moose

Brett R. Jesmer, Jacob R. Goheen, Kevin L. Monteith, Mathew Kauffman

8:55 - 9:10am

Quantifying greenscapes: spatialtemportal patterns of phenology shape green wave surfing in migratory mule deer

9:00 - 9:25am

Bureau of Land Management Methods (HAF, AIM)

Ellen O. Aikens, Matthew J. Kauffman, Jerod A. Merkle, Samantha P. Dwinell, Gary L. Fralick, Kevin L. Monteith

Josh Hemenway/ Kellie Roadifer (BLM)


9:10 - 9:25am

Development and application of population genomic tools for conservation and management of Wyoming pronghorn

Melanie LaCava, Roderick B. Gagne, Sierra M. Love Stowell, Holly B. Ernest

9:25 - 9:40am

The role of memory and past experience in shaping migratory behavior

Jerod Merkle, Hall Sawyer, Kevin Monteith, Matthew Kauffman

9:40 - 9:55am

Risk-effects of a human-altered landscape: nutritional tradeoffs in behavior of mule deer

9:25 - 9:50 am Forest Service Methods

Samantha P. H. Dwinnell, Hall Sawyer, Gary Fralick, Jill Randall, Matthew Kauffman, Kevin Montheith

Chad Hayward (USFS)

Break

9:50 - 10:15am

Sage Grouse Initiative Efforts

Mountain species and systems (Main Ballroom, Moderator: Tony Mong)

Mandi Hirsch

10:10 - 10:25am

Fire history and regeneration dynamics of low-elevation Douglas Fir forests in the Grand Teton area

Break

Kevin Krasnow, Jason Sibold, Diane Abendroth

10:35-11:00am Panel Discussion

10:25 - 10:40am

Basic information about mountainsnails

Lusha Tronstad

10:40 - 10:55am

Seasonal resource selection by introduced mountain goats in the southwest Greater Yellowstone Area

Blake Lowrey, Robert Garrott, Hollie Miyasaki, Gary Fralick, Sarah Dewey

10:55 - 11:10am

What to eat in a warming world: altering forage preferences may buffer climate stress

11:00-12:00pm SRM High School Youth Forum Embere Hall and Anna Chalfoun

11:10 - 11:25am

The Greater Yellowstone sights and sounds archive: a new tool for wildlife researchers and educators


Nancy L. Bailey, Penny H. Preston, Samantha Harper, Charles R. Preston

11:25 - 11:40am

The Greater Yellowstone Area Mountain ungulate research project

Robert Garrott, P.J. White, Doug McWhirter, Andy Pils, Shawn Stewart, Hollie Miyasaki, Sarah Dewey

11:40 - 11:55am

Multi-state wolverine monitoring and conservation

Nichole L. Bjornlie, Zack Walker, Diane Evans Mack, Rex Sallabanks, Justin Gude, Bob Inman, Bob Lanka, Jeffrey Lewis, Scott Jackson, Rick Kahn

12:00 - 1:00 TWS Mentor Lunch (Taggart 3) or Lunch on your own

TWS - Sagebrush ecosystems and sage-grouse (Main Ballroom, Moderator: Tom Christiansen)

SRM - ESD Workshop (Taggart)

1:00 - 1:10pm Short-term vegetation response to mowing and herbicide treatments in Wyoming big sagebrush

GIS, Soils, and Vegetation: Connecting the dots for wise range management!

Jason R LeVan, Jeffrey L Beck, Kurt T. Smith

1:10 - 1:20pm

Microhabitat selection of brood-rearing sites by greater sage-grouse in Carbon county, Wyoming

Leslie Schreiber, Christopher Hansen, Mark Rumble, Joshua Millspaugh, Scott Gamo, Jon Kehmeier, Nate Wojcik

1:20 - 1:30pm Comparison of songbird population trends to sage-grouse lek trends: assessing sage-grouse core areas and umbrella species concept

Shari Meeks and Bryan Christiansen

Jonathan B. Dinkins and Jeffrey L. Beck

1:30 - 1:45pm Beyond breeding habitat: comprehensive habitat requirements of a partial migrant

1-2 GIS Focus

Aaron C. Pratt, Kurt T. Smith, Jeffrey L. Beck

1:45 -2:00pm Geophagy and movements of greater sage-grouse in the upper Green River drainage

Josh Hemenway, Dale Woolwine, Bryan Bedrosian, Matt Holloran


2:00 -2:15pm

Using resilience and resistance concepts to develop a strategic approach for managing threats to sagebrush ecosystems, Gunnison sage-grouse, and greater sage-grouse in their eastern range


Jeanne C. Chambers, Jeffrey L. Beck, Steve Campbell, John Carlson, Thomas J Christiansen, Karen J. Clause, Jonathan B. Dinkins, Kevin E. Doherty, Kathleen A. Griffin, Douglas W. Havlina, Kenneth F. Henke, Jacob D. Hennig, Laurie L. Kurth, Jeremy D. Maestas, Mary Manning, Kenneth E. Mayer, Brian A. Mealor, Clinton McCarthy, Marco A. Perea, David A. Pyke

2:15 -2:30pm Application of stable isotopes to reconstruct greater sage-grouse chick dietary history: diet selection and relative body condition

Kurt Smith, Aaron Pratt, Jason LeVan, Jeffrey Beck

2:30 -2:45pm The non-target effects of sage-grouse habitat treatments on sagebrush-associated songbirds


Jason Carlisle, Anna Chalfoun, Kurt Smith, Jeffrey Beck

2:45 -3:00pm

Evaluating efficacy of fence markers in reducing greater sage-grouse collisions

2-3pm Soils and ESD Focus

Nicholas J. Van Lanen, Adam W. Green, Taylor R. Gorman, Laura A. Quattrini, David C. Pavlacky Jr.

Break

TWS - Freshwater environments and amphibians (Main Ballroom, Moderator: Melanie Murphy)


3:20 - 3:30pm Native freshwater mussel follow up investigations: filling survey gaps and exploring newly discovered populations (lightning)

Oliver Wilmot, Lusha Tronstad, Phil Mathias

3:30 - 3:45pm Fire, grazing and toads: vegetation management and Wyoming toads (Anaxyrus baxteri) recovery efforts


Melanie Murphy, James Vance, Julia Polasik, Tyler Abbot

3:45 - 4:00pm Boreal toad habitat selection and survival in relation to grazing intensity and disease prevalance

3-4pm Hands-on Exercise

Gabe Barrile, Anna D. Chalfoun, Annika Walters


4:00 -4:15pm Enhancing detection of native Wyoming amphibians through environmental DNA and visual surveys

Andrew Gygli, Melanie A. Murphy, Wendy Estes-Zumpf, Rick Henderson

TWS - Influence of human disturbance and development on species (Main Ballroom, Moderator: Anna Chalfoun)

4:15 -4:30pm Is a mesopredator release underlying increased songbird nest predation near natural gas development?

Lindsey Sanders and Anna Chalfoun

4:30 -4:45pm Golden eagle reproduction in relation to energy development and landscape composition in the Bighorn Basin

SRM Extemporaneous Speaking Contest

Charles R. Preston, John Campbell, Richard E. Jones, Nathan S. Horton

4:45 -5:00pm Evaluating the influence of development on mule deer migration and phenology tracking

4:00 - 5:00pm

Teal B. Wyckoff, Matthew J. Kauffman, Shannon E. Albeke, Hall Sawyer

5:00 -5:15pm

Effects of roads and deer migration and movement corridors in Wyoming

Corinna Riginos, Holly Copeland, Chauncey Smith, Matthew Kauffman, Hall Sawyer, Kevin Monteith, Kevin Krasnow

5:15 -5:30pm Mortality risk for pronghorn in the red desert in the face of environmental and anthropogenic change

Adele Reinking, Jeffrey Beck, Tony Mong, Mary Read, Kevin Monteith

6:00 - 9:00pm Millstone Brew Pub (Quiz Bowl Starts at 7:00)


Thursday, November 17

Taggart 1 & 2 Taggart 3 Field Trips Buffalo Bill

Museum 7:00 - 7:30 SRM Undergraduate Range

Management Exam (URME): Pro/Am Event 1 (Until 8:30 if

needed)

7:30 - 8:00

8:00 - 8:30

Bat Working Group Meeting Intro to R Workshop

8:30 - 9:00

Heart Mountain Field Trip (Meet in Holiday Inn Lobby

@ 8:30am)

9:00 - 9:30 9:30 - 10:00 10:00 - 10:30 10:30 - 11:00

11:00 - 11:30

11:30 - 12:00

12:00 - 12:30

12:30 - 1:00

SRM Lunch

Drawn to Nature: Sketching for

Scientists Workshop (Starts @ 12:30pm at

museum)

1:00 - 1:30

Database Management

Workshop

1:30 - 2:00

2:00 - 2:30 Shoshone River Wildlife Field Trip (Meet in Holiday

Inn Lobby @ 1:45pm)

2:30 - 3:00

3:30 - 3:30

3:30 - 4:00

4:00 - 4:30 Buffalo Bill Museum Tour (Meet out front @

4:00pm) 4:30 - 5:00

5:00 - 5:30

5:30 - 11:00 Closing Banquet at Buffalo Bill Museum


Poster Session Posters listed in alphabetical order by title

A NEW AND IMPROVED SPECIES OBSERVATION DATABASE TO SUPPORT NATURAL RESOUCE MANAGEMENT IN WYOMING Mark Andersen, Melanie Arnett, Patrick O’Toole, Gary Beauvais, Bob Lanka

A SYSTEMATIC METHOD FOR SURVEYING GROUNDWATER-DEPENDENT MOUNTAIN WETLANDS IN WYOMING George Jones

ARTHROPOD CHARACTERISTICS AT COLUMBIAN SHARP-TAILED GROUSE BROOD LOCATIONS IN CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM AND SHRUB-STEPPE RANGELAND HABITAT. Katey Huggler1*, M. Elliott1, K. Reese1, J. Knetter2, P. Coates3, and G. Gillette4

BLACK BEAR POPULATION MONITORING IN WESTERN WYOMING USING CLUSTERED DESIGN AND SPATIALLY EXPLICIT CAPTURE-RECAPTURE MODELS Dan Bjornlie*, Kole Stewart, Sean Ryder

BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG RESPONSE TO CONSPECIFIC CUES FROM A NOVEL SOURCE Lauren Connell1, J. Derek Scasta2, Lauren M. Porensky3

DO RECLAIMED AREAS WITHIN NATURAL GAS FIELDS AUGMENT SMALL MAMMAL BODY CONDITION AND ABUNDANCE? Brittany Wagler, Lindsey Sanders and Anna Chalfoun EFFECTS OF ALTERED NUTRIENT LEVELS ON TWO NATIVE SHRUB SPECIES ON RUSSIAN OLIVE-REMOVAL SITES. Rebecca L. Upjohn, Ann L. Hild, Timothy R. Collier THE EFFECT OF SEX AND SEASONAL VARIATION ON RACCOON HOME RANGES IN LARAMIE, WYOMING. Emily Davis, Alix Wimberley, Lauren Stanton, Sara Benson-Amran

EVALUATING THE USE OF THRESHOLD CONCEPTS FOR IMPROVING HABITAT THROUGH CHEATGRASS MANAGEMENT. Clay Wood and Brian Mealor

A GLOBAL SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF SAFETY AND APPLICATION OF GPS COLLARS ON FREE-ROAMING EQUIDS Jacob D. Hennig, J. Derek Scasta, Jeffrey L. Beck IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE FITNESS OF AN INDICATOR SPECIES: THE UINTA GROUND SQUIRREL Lucas Henzler, Caylee Falvo, Lisa Aubrey INVESTIGATING THE VARIATION IN NESTLING SIZE IN THREE SPECIES OF SAGEBRUSH SONGBIRDS Ashleigh M. Rhea, Jason D. Carlisle, Anna D. Chalfoun MONITORING AND STATUS OF CYMOPTERUS WILLIAMSII (WILLIAMS’ SPRINGPARSLEY), NORTH-CENTRAL WYOMING Joy Handley MULE DEER MIGRATORY BEHAVIOR: A COMPARISON OF THE SEXES. Patrick Rodgers, Tony Mong, Matthew Kauffman, Hall Sawyer NUTRITIONAL RESPONSES OF MOOSE TO BEETLE-KILLED FORESTS IN SOUTHEAST WYOMING Alexander May1, Kevin L. Monteith1,2, Matthew J. Kauffman3, Corey Class4, Will Schultz4, Lee Knox4


PERSNICKETY PARENTS: HOW PARENTAL CARE BEHAVIOR AFFECTS SONGBIRD NEST SUCCESS. Macy Kenney1, Lindsey Sanders1,2, and Anna Chalfoun3 PICTURE THIS: MONITORING MIGRATORY ELK HERDS OF THE GYE USING REMOTE PHOTOGRAPHY. Travis Zaffarano1, Matthew Kauffman1, Arthur Middleton2, Doug McWhirter3, Aly Courtemanch3, Greg Anderson3 POTENTIAL THREATS TO WYOMING’S RARE PLANT SPECIES. Joy Handley, Bonnie Heidel PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM A SPOTTED SKUNK SURVEY IN WYOMING. Robert K. Riotto, Brian M. Zinke, Jesse T. Boulerice, Douglas Keinath, Merav Ben-David QUANTIFYING SHRUB CANOPY INTERCEPTION OF TWO IMAZAPIC FORMULATIONS AND IMPACTS ON CHEATGRASS BIOMASS. Clay Wood and Brian Mealor

ROLE OF HARVEST AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON HORN SIZE OF WILD SHEEP Tayler LaSharr, Ryan Long, Ji, Heffelfinger, Terry Bowyer, Vernon Bleich, Paul Krausman, Kevin Monteith

STATUS OF THE WATER VOLE (MICROTUS RICHARDSONI) IN THE BIG HORN MOUNTAINS, WYOMING. Brian M. Zinke, Gary Beauvais, Beth Bischoff TEMPORAL CHANGES IN SNOW AND TUNDRA USE BY ALPINE-OBLIGATE PASSERINE Carl Brown and Anna Chalfoun Teton Raptor Center’s Poo-Poo Project (Port-O-Potty Owl Project) THE USFWS WESTERN GOLDEN EAGLE TEAM: AN OVERVIEW Gary E. Williams1, Brian Woodbridge2, Todd Lickfett2, and Geoffrey Bedrosian2


Field Trips Heart Mountain Field Trip

Join us as we explore The Nature Conservancy’s Heart Mountain Ranch. This beautiful property, located between Cody and Powell, has unique topography, various vegetation communities and wildlife galore. The field trip will be guided by Brian Peters, manager of the property. Along the field trip we will see a riparian restoration project using beaver dam analogues, wildlife migration routes, range improvements for cattle and wildlife and talk about the active grizzly bear population on Heart Mountain. Brian will highlight the intricacies of managing Heart Mountain as an active ranch, while balancing the needs of livestock, wildlife and recreationists.

What to bring: Comfortable walking shoes, warm clothes and layers, water

Where to meet: Meet @ 8:30 am in the Holiday Inn Lobby on Thursday. Trip ends at 12:30pm.

Shoshone River Wildlife Field Trip

On this tour hosted by Dan Thompson and Doug McWhirter with Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Matt Kauffman with University of Wyoming/USGS, we will be exploring three major issues facing western Wyoming through stunning visuals and poignant presentations coupled with thought provoking discussions. On our tour of the Shoshone River corridor we will be stopping to discuss grizzly bear management and issues related to bear damage in that area, challenges related to bighorn sheep disease management and the complexities of ungulate migrations. We plan on seeing large numbers of mule deer and the possibility of a group of big horn sheep. We will be organizing car pool opportunities at 1:45 PM and then leaving at 2:00 pm.

What to bring: Comfortable walking shoes, warm clothes and layers, water

Where to meet: Meet at 1:45 pm in the Holiday Inn Lobby on Thursday. Trip ends at 5:00pm.


Workshops Sage-Grouse Monitoring (Wed 8:30 – 11:00am)

According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, “Wyoming is a stronghold for greater sage-grouse, with the most birds and the most sagebrush of any state.” With increased scrutiny on bird populations and habitat to support this species, monitoring is crucial. Each agency monitors for sage grouse with different techniques and approaches. During this workshop, we will hear from Wyoming Game and Fish, Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, Sage Grouse Initiative and Wyoming Department of Agriculture. The plethora of acronyms such as AIM, HAF and SGI will be explained as well as the techniques used by each of these agencies.

GIS, Soils, and Vegetation: Connecting the Dots for Wise Range Management (Wed 1-4pm)

Habitat and Rangeland Health are hot topics in both Range and Wildlife Management. The two topics go hand-in-hand and generally, range and wildlife professionals can work together to answer questions about habitat and rangeland health. Ecological Sites are a more in-depth look at vegetation types affiliated with climate zones and soils information. Understanding this information allows managers to assess habitat and vegetation (or site) potential.

The goal of this workshop is to provide attendees with “hands on” experience in describing soils and tying that together with vegetation information. An indoor soils/range competition will take place by using soil monoliths and associated soil textures, structures, and chemistry data to properly describe the soil profile. Attendees will use provided vegetation information in concert with the soils description to work through the ecological site key and correctly identify the ecological site. This workshop will help encourage the development of skills necessary to correctly describe soils and identify ecological sites.

Intro to R: Jason Carlisle & Embere Hall (Registration Required) (Thurs 8:00 – 12:30)

Program R is a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics (http://www.r-project.org/), and R is increasingly popular among scientists across many disciplines including wildlife and rangeland management. R is notorious for having a steep learning curve, so we offer this 4-hour workshop to provide a very basic introduction to Program R and its uses, and to guide beginner R users through what may be their first encounter with R via RStudio, a program that makes the power of R more approachable (http://www.rstudio.com/). Each participant must provide his/her own computer (with software-installation privileges), and instructions will be sent to participants in advance to download the free software used in the workshop. Example datasets and materials will be distributed at the workshop. Multiple assistant instructors will be on hand to assist with troubleshooting any issues that arise.

Introduction to Natural Resources Database Management with Cheyenne Stewart (Registration Required) (Thurs 1:00 – 4:00pm)

Natural resource professionals are continually required to expand their expertise in computer programming as new technological advances in our field increase the size and complexity of datasets. But what is the


point of collecting all this wonderful data if it isn’t managed in a way that allows us to analyze and interpret it efficiently? Using Microsoft Excel is appealing due to familiarity with the software; but it is too inefficient, prone to errors, and just messy to manage modern datasets. Using well-designed Microsoft Access databases (or other relational databases) increases efficiency and data consistency while minimizing errors and reducing data manipulation time for analysis. Don’t be intimidated! By spending a little more time and effort at the beginning of a project to design a database that is catered to your needs, you will save yourself time and headaches for the duration. Don’t have time to do it all? Not a problem; understanding the way databases work will help you communicate with outsourced database designers to ensure that they understand your needs.

The goal of this short course is to teach the practical skills needed to create and manage relational databases using Microsoft Access. You will learn basic database building, creating forms, querying data, and importing/exporting data. No prior coding experience required; this is not designed as a coding course. You will need your own computer with Access installed and you must be able to download data prior to attendance. This course would be a great resource for professionals and students. A specific course syllabus will be designed based on a survey from attendees.

Drawn to Wildlife: Sketching for Scientists with Bethann Merkle (Registration Required) (Thurs 12:30 – 4:00)

Drawing is not exclusively for artists. After all, the curiosity, close observation, recording, and critical thinking required for drawing should seem quite familiar to any scientist. The primary reason people avoid incorporating sketching into their professional work is because they have never learned how to draw. After all, modern drawing basics are learned, not inherited. Fundamental skills, techniques, and knowledge of different media can be taught, practiced, and improved upon. And that’s what this workshop provides – a foundation in essential sketching skills, so that you have the basic knowledge upon which you can build a self-satisfying drawing habit. In addition to foundational techniques and field sketching experience, you’ll have time in this workshop to discuss how to incorporate sketching into data collection methodology, publications, and popular communication efforts.

Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Draper Natural History Museum with Charles Preston (Registration Required) (Thursday 4:00 – 5:30pm)

The Draper Natural History Museum was established at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in 2002. Our mission is to increase understanding and appreciation for the relationships binding humans and nature in the Greater Yellowstone region. We pursue this mission through scientific research, collections development, exhibits, and an extensive suite of public outreach programming — including a live raptor educational program. In cooperation with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and other partners, we’ve acquired and prepared more than 1,000 bird and mammal specimens since 2002 and have recently added an extensive plant collection from the Rocky Mountain Herbarium. Our collections include more than 150 gray wolf skulls acquired from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service through control actions. We have also archived several thousand video clips pertaining to wildlife, landscapes, and interviews with scientists, wildlife managers, and the general public. All of our collections are available for educational and scientific use by request. During this 90-minute, behind-the-scenes tour of the Draper Museum, you’ll visit our laboratory and collections storage facilities, as well as our live raptor mews, and learn how to access these resources for your needs.


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