Large Carnivore Working Group

In the science of community ecology, there exists a strong and continued need to better understand carnivore influences in predator-prey interactions, carnivore-carnivore competition, and carnivore influences on the ecosystems in which they live. Science and conservation await conditions in which we can advance our understanding of large carnivores and in the Yellowstone ecosystem, we have the opportunity. With the expanding wolf and grizzly bear populations, and the widespread presence of cougars and black bears, the stage is set for a unique study.

In 1998, a group of researchers on the northern range of Yellowstone National Park came together to discuss cooperative research on large carnivores: wolves, grizzly bears, cougars, and black bears. The group agreed to develop a coordinated effort (1) to document the interactions among the four species and (2) to quantify the combined, four-species use of habitat and landscape features. The group adopted the ad hoc title of the Northern Yellowstone Large Carnivore Working Group (NYLCWG) and conducted a pilot study, testing the potentials of cooperative research and the ability of the group to operate cohesively. The NYLCWG successfully conducted an intensive examination of carnivore movements on Yellowstone’s Northern Range, focused on carnivore influences on each other’s movements, on human influences on carnivore movements, and the potential influence of the park boundary (Ruth et al. 2003). Since the successful completion of this work, the NYLCWG has continued to focus on methods to obtain unbiased information about the movements, interactions, survival, and resource use of the four large carnivores on the Northern Range. The field effort culminated in 2006, and now we are progressing into analysis of more than 50,000 locations on the four species, in addition to field observations on kills, food availability, and other ancillary variables with potential influence on the analysis.

In 2004, a similar group of researchers was convened in the southern part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, in the Jackson Hole area. Each researcher brought their own, active field project to the table and agreed: there is a pressing need and the opportunity for further cooperation to advance the science and understanding of large carnivores. With this combined agreement, the Southern Yellowstone Large Carnivore Working Group (SYLCWG) was formed. The group compared timetables and objectives of current field activities and determined a target date for integrated efforts to commence in April, 2010.

Objectives

To advance our understanding of carnivore ecology in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem through the integration of current field research projects and the development of new efforts to give added value and provide greater understanding of the interactions among carnivores, the carnivore-prey interactions within a complete large carnivore guild, and the broader question of how they partition resources.

Cooperators

Rarely in one location are there several active research projects on large carnivores; these efforts are expensive, and the data obtained from them are often sparse compared with research on other species. Even rarer is the presence of researchers willing to work outside their mandates and the specific objectives of their own research; but, they see the opportunity for adding to the science and potential of their work. The unique opportunity for science in the research community, centered on large carnivores, is provided by the circumstances that exist in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem at this time.

The Large Carnivore Working Groups – Northern Yellowstone and Southern Yellowstone groups – are made up of individuals from multi-agency, multi-entity cooperators, both active and planned for involvement in the carnivore working groups. They are:

For wolves:Mike Jimenez, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Steve Cain, Grand Teton National Park, Douglas Smith, Yellowstone National Park, Dan Stahler, Yellowstone National Park.

For grizzly bears:Charles Schwartz, U.S. Geological Survey, Steve Cain, Grand Teton National Park, Dave Moody, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Mark Haroldson, U.S. Geological Survey.

For cougars: Toni Ruth and Polly Buotte, The Selway Institute, Derek Craighead, Craighead Beringia South, Howard Quigley, Craighead Beringia South and Panthera.

For black bears: Charles Schwartz, U.S. Geological Survey, Steve Cain, Grand Teton National Park, Dave Moody, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Mark Haroldson, U.S. Geological Survey, Kerry Gunther, Yellowstone National Park.

Recent Publications

Ruth, T.K., D.W. Smith, M.A. Haroldson, P.C. Buotte, C.C. Schwartz, H.B. Quigley, S. Cherry, K.M. Murphy, D. Tyers, and K. Frey. 2003. Large carnivore response to recreational big-game hunting along the Yellowstone National Park and Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness boundary. Wildlife Society Bulletin 31:1150-1161.

Funding

The Large Carnivore Working Group is funded in part by grants and donations from organizations and individuals interested in the proper management, conservation, and stewardship of our natural resources, including wildlife. All donations are tax-deductible and can be mailed to:

Craighead Beringia South
  P.O. Box 147 
Kelly, WY 83011

Craighead Beringia South is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.