Research Opportunities




Research Issues Relevant Parks Recent Case Studies	Synopsis: Coming Soon.
	Research Issues: Bears (Ursus americanus, Ursus arctos) Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) Mountain Goats (Oreamnos americanus) Population Biology (top of page) Bears (Ursus americanus, Ursus arctos): Background: The National Park Service needs the information that would be provided by research on both black bears and grizzly bears to meet its mandate of protecting wild and free-ranging bear populations. Some basic information concerning both species is known. The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates the current statewide black bear population at 25,000. However, this number is not based on field research but on hunter mortality data. No density or distribution estimates are available, and the assumption that the black bear population in the Cascade Range is healthy has few data to support it. A very small population of grizzly bears occupies North Cascades National Park Service Complex and the adjacent Canadian Province of British Columbia. The grizzly bear is listed as threatened and endangered in all areas. Based on the quality, quantity, and distribution of confirmed and highly reliable grizzly bear observations in the North Cascades Ecosystem, an evaluation estimated that 10-20 grizzly bears resided in the U.S. portion (Almack et al. 1993). In 1998, British Columbia estimated a minimum of 17 grizzly bears in the Canadian Cascades (Gyug 1998). The North Cascades Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone was established in 1991, one of six such zones in the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan (the Plan includes states contiguous to Washington). The Zone includes nearly 10,000 square miles roughly defined as federal lands north of Interstate 90 and south of the Canadian border. Approximately 10 percent of the Recovery Zone lies in North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Some research has been done on both grizzly bears and black bears. Inventories using hair snare grids have been done in British Columbia and on U.S. Forest Service and North Cascades National Park Service Complex lands in the U.S. (Mowat, 1999; Wielgus 1998). Research using hair snares will continue during 2000 in the Complex. A report will be prepared following completion of data analysis. The U.S. Forest Service has modeled the effects of roads on black bears and evaluated black bear habitat use on lands adjacent and within the Complex (Gaines et al. 1999; Gaines 1995; Gold 1997). No grizzly bears were trapped during the research, although one was observed near a trapping site. During the past five years, the North Cascades Grizzly Bear Management Subcommittee has emphasized implementing the Interagency Grizzly Bear Guidelines by conducting core area analyses, setting limits for change within core areas (defined as greater than 500 meters from a road or high-use trail), and by improving bear-related sanitation conditions. During 2000, the Subcommitteeís technical team is conducting seasonal habitat analyses which will be overlaid on existing core habitat maps. This overlay will be used to evaluate current Bear Management Units, determine desired goals for habitat quality and availability, and implement Management Situation Area recommendations as stated in the Guidelines. Park Focus: Mount Rainier National Park North Cascades National Park Olympic National Park Research Needs: Research opportunities exist in all areas of study of both species. Each of the three national parks present slightly different issues. Olympic National Park provides a large area for home ranges wholly protected from hunting with minimal human disturbance. However, significant human activity impacts the park's periphery including bear hunting. Mount Rainier National Park has good bear habitat, but because its land area is smaller and much of the geography is rock and ice, bears are more likely to be affected by the park's large visitation as well as human activity and development on its periphery. North Cascades National Park Service Complex allows hunting in two of its units and includes two areas of artificial food attractants for bears. The North Cascades Ecosystem chapter of the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan specifically lists research using the following parameters as a top priority for the next five years. A comprehensive baseline inventory using these parameters is a priority for black as well as grizzly bears: - - Seasonal and annual distribution and density patterns, movements, and population changes. - - Habitat requirements including natural food preferences, ratings of the importance of habitat types by forage quality and quantity, and determination of other geographic features important to bear populations. - - Population dynamics including productivity, survival, and mortality rate. - - Research on genetic health and relationships including baseline measures of heterogeneity, monitoring changes approximately every ten years. - - Research on the relationships to humans including the effects of people on bear numbers, distribution, movements, behavior, and feeding habits. Additional Research Possibilities Include: Development of test census techniques that will provide realistic population and density pattern estimates for a given area. Resources to assist researchers include hair sample jells from 1999 and 2000 hair snare inventories. These are stored at the University of Idaho and will be stable for approximately two years from the time they were first processed. In addition, biologists from the North Cascades National Park Service Complex and the surrounding national forests are analyzing seasonal habitat for the entire U.S. ecosystem during 2000. Resulting GIS models will be available by the end of the calendar year 2000. Recent Research of Interest: Almack, J.A., W.L. Gaines, R.H. Naney, P.H. Morrison, J.R. Eby, G.F. Wooten, M.C. Snyder, S.H. Fitkin and E. R. Garcia. 1993. North Cascades Grizzly Bear Ecosystem Evaluation; Final Report. Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, Denver, Colorado. 156 pp. Gaines, W.L. 1995. Proposal for the Study of the Relationships among Black Bears, Roads, Trails and Habitat in the North Cascades, Washington. USFS, Leavenworth, Washington. Gaines, W.L. and A.L. Bruns. 1997. Nocturnal Activities of Black Bears in the North Central Washington Cascades. Paper presented at the 6th Western Black Bear Workshop, Ocean Shores, Washington. Gaines, A.L. Gold and D. Munzing. 1999. Black Bear Use of Road Density Zones on the Okanogan National Forest. Paper presented at the 1999 Annual Meeting of the Washington Chapter of the Wildlife Society, Wenatchee, Washington. Gold, A.L. 1997. Habitat Use of Black Bears in the Northeast Cascades of Washington. Master's Thesis, University of Montana, Missoula. 94 pp. Gyug, L.W. 1998. Assessment of Grizzly Bear Populations, Habitat Use and Timber Harvest Mitigation Strategies in the North Cascades Grizzly Bear Population Unit, British Columbia. British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Southern Interior Region. Kamloops, British Columbia. 38 pp. Mowat, G. 1999. Unpublished addendum to: North Cascades Grizzly Bear Inventory: Final Progress Report from Fieldwork. 1998. By G. Mowat and H. Davis. Nelson, British Columbia. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. 1997, 1998, 1999. Progress Reports: Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration ñ Black Bear (Ursus americanus) Research in Washington. Olympia, Washington. Wielgus, R.B. 1998. Minimum Population Estimate and Limiting Factors for North Cascades Grizzly Bears. Proposal to Seattle City Light - Wildlife Research Fund. Washington State University, Pullman, Washington. 11 pp. Back to Research Issues (top of page) Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis): Coming soon. Back to Research Issues (top of page) Mountain Goats (Oreamnos americanus) Population Biology Background: Mountain goat populations in Washington have declined for many decades despite reductions, or cessation of hunting. Although specific causes have not been identified, this long-term gradual decline suggests that habitat changes are a factor. Other factors that may be contributing to this regional decline include nutritional deficiencies, parasitism and disease, and human disturbance. It is unclear whether mountain goat populations in Mount Rainier National Park and North Cascades National Park Service Complex have also declined. Research documenting population trends, migration patterns, and effects of external land uses are needed to evaluation the status of park populations and to develop park management policies. Currently, an estimated 400 mountain goats live in Mount Rainier National Park. They move from high-elevation summer range to low-elevation, forested winter range. Goats probably move seasonally onto USFS lands and are hunted when outside the park. Others are probably poached each year from inside or outside the park, or killed by avalanches. The health and population trends of park goats are unknown, although populations outside the park have been decreasing in size for several years. Declines in goat herds outside the park are suspected to be related to overhunting, but the effect of these declines on park goat populations has not been studied. Traditionally, the Mount Baker area has supported one of the largest mountain goat populations in Washington. A 1961 helicopter survey of the Mount Baker area provided a population estimate of just over 600 goats. Intensive ground-based effort to count mountain goats in Whatcom and Skagit counties in 1985 provided a population estimate of 310 animals. In 1995, a two-day helicopter survey of the areas covered in 1961 estimated the mountain goat population at 212 animals. These inventories indicate a downward trend in the goat population. This 1995 estimation is 67 percent lower than the 1961 estimate. Prior to the establishment of NOCA 32 years ago, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife monitored mountain goat populations in this area. Annual reports and summaries of sightings and kills by hunters were stopped with the establishment of the NOCA in 1968. Since 1968, little information has been collected assessing population estimates within the Complex. In 1996 and 1997, NPS biologists surveyed the Ross Lake drainage. Only 5 mountain goats were sighted in 1996 and no goats were observed in 1997. Current park information can not establish trends in mountain goat populations within the Complex. It is illegal to hunt or carry firearms in North Cascades NP. However, hunting is permitted in Lake Chelan and Ross Lake NRAs. Hunting is also permitted on most lands adjacent to the Complex. Currently, seasons exist for mountain goats within the legal hunt areas of the Complex. Accidental take and poaching do occur within the Complex. Little information is available to access this problem, though it is not believed to be very significant. The high level of recreation use in nearly all goat ranges in the Cascades could be contributing to the declining number of mountain goats. It is known that mountain goats avoid heavily used areas by hikers and mountain climbers. Where hiking off trails is not known, this activity has the greatest impact potential on disruption of mountain goat habitat use. It is not currently possible to quantify how much reduction in habitat suitability is occurring in watersheds within and adjacent to the National Park lands. Park Focus: Mount Rainier National Park Olympic National Park Research Needs: What is the current minimum population estimate for each park? What is the productivity of herds in the parks? Where are mountain goat populations distributed, in each park, during early summer, late summer, and winter? What are the migration routes used by park herds? What is the availability and quality of forage on summer and winter ranges of the goats? When is the best time(s) to conduct surveys to monitor goat populations on a 5-years basis? How mountain goats are impacted by these factors: Parasites, Disease, Habitat loss (roads, trails, climbing routes, increased human activities), hunting (past and present), and natural predator cycles? What is the effect of recreational use on goat populations and how should this information be incorporated into Wilderness Management Policies? Resources Available: Mountain Goat surveys of winter habitat on the Stehekin Valley slopes (1991-93) and summer habitat of the Ross Lake drainage (1996-97) have been completed. In addition to these surveys, Chelan PUD has, as part of their ungulate management program, surveyed sites along Lake Chelan for the past 15 to 20 years. Part of this survey is completed within NOCA boundaries. These surveys include data on goat abundance and productivity (kids / 100 adults). A GIS-based summer Mountain Goat habitat model (modified Habitat Suitability Index) has recently been completed (Holmes 1993). Wildlife observations of ungulates are maintained in georeferenced computer databases at both MORA and NOCA. Goat summer distribution and abundance surveys were conducted by MORA staff in 1983 and 1984. References of Inerest: Aho, J., D. Houston, B. Moorhead, E. Schreiner, and R. Starr. 1982. Mountain goat ecology and management investigations Olympic National Park Headquarters, Port Angeles, Washington. 68pp. Almack, J. A., J. R. Eby, S. H. Fitkin, W. L. Gaines, E. R. Garcia, P. H. Morrison, R. H. Naney, and G. F. Wooten. 1991. North Cascades Grizzly Bear Ecosystem Evaluation, Final Report. North Cascades National Park Complex Headquarters, Sedro-Woolley, Washington. Anderson, N. A. 1940. Mountain goat study. Washington Game Dept., Biological Bulletin No. 2. 21 pp. Barnard, T. 1987. Current population status and seasonal distribution of mountain goat in the Skagit River watershed. Unpubl. report to S.E.E.C. B.C., Ministry of Environment and Parks, Victoria. 15 pp. Fielder, P. C. and B. G. Keesee. 1988. Results of a mountain goat transplant along Lake Chelan, Washington. Northwest Science. 62(5):218-222. Herbert, D. M. and I. McT. Cowan. 1971. White muscle disease in the mountain goat. Journal of Wildlife Management. 35(4):752-756. Holmes, R.E. 1993. A GIS-based habitat model for mountain goats (Oreamnus americanus) in the North Cascades National Park Service Complex, Washington. MS Thesis, Western Washington University, Bellingham. 85 pp. Johnson, R. 1983. Mountain goats and mountain sheep of Washington. Washington Department of Game Biological Bulletin No. 18. 196 pp. Stevens, V. 1979. Factors reflecting mountain goat condition and habitat quality: A comparison of sub-populations in Olympic National Park. Pages 51-57 in E. Starkey, J. Franklin, J. Matthews, eds. Ecological Research in National Parks of the Pacific Northwest. Forest Research Lab. Oregon State University, Corvallis. Welch, S.J., and K.J. Raedeke. 1990. Status of the mountain goat population on White Chuck Mountain, North Cascades, Washington. Final Report to Washington Department of Wildlife and USDA Forest Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. 58 pp. Welch, S.J. 1991. Human disturbance and habitat use patterns of the mountain goats (Oreamnus americanus) on White Chuck Mountain, Washington. MS Thesis, University of Washington, Seattle. 101 pp. Wright, W. 1977. Ecology of the Cascade Mountain Goat, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington. M.S. Thesis. Western Washington State Univ., Bellingham, Washington. 107pp. Back to Research Issues (top of page)
	Relevant Parks:
	Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve Whidbey Island, Washington Fort Clatsop National Memorial Astoria, Oregon Fort Vancouver National Historical Site Vancouver, Washington Mount Rainier National Park Ashford, Washington (top of page)	North Cascades National Park North Cascades Range, Washington Olympic National Park Olympic Peninsula, Washington San Juan Island National Historical Park San Juan Islands, Washington
	Recent Case Studies:
	Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Fire and Forest Succession in a Mountain Watershed North Cascades National Park Service Complex Susan Pritchard, University of Washington (top of page)



	Research & Park Stewardship > Fields of Study > Restoration Ecology