Beginning in 2010, personnel from Craighead Beringia South embarked on the third phase of a Golden Eagle nesting project dating back to the 1960’s. With this incredible historic dataset in hand, we went back to the study site in South-Cental Montana to collect data on current nesting and producitivity trends in an attempt to identify causes for the apparent population decline in the Intermountain West.
Sage grouse have been declining in many parts of the West. Craighead Beringia South, with initial funding from the state of Wyoming, has undertaken a 3-year project to examine the movements and demographics of the bird in the Jackson Hole area. Initial focus will be on female sage grouse nest success, brood survival, and winter habitat needs.
This long-term study was undertaken to determine demographic, social organization, and predation characteristics of the cougar population in the Upper Snake River Ecosystem, and to better understand the ecological role of this top predator in the system. This study will help guide resource managers as they strive to manage a complex region with four large carnivores.
The population of Common Ravens in Jackson Hole has increased over the past 55-years. In 2002 Craighead Beringia South began a three-year study on the post-fledging (the time period between when the young leave the nest until they are no longer cared for by their parents) mortality and dispersal of ravens in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP). Concomitantly, we documented other parameters that could influence raven mortality. Some of these were; productivity, habitat selection, West Nile Virus activity, feeding and roosting behavior, and inter-specific competition with Red-tailed hawks.
Some of the most intensive wildlife research comes from work performed on endangered species, and it spreads to influence other species and ecosystems. That's exactly what has happened between California condor research and our long-term research on scavengers in the Jackson Hole area.
Only 20-50 Gobi bears may survive, but even this estimate is uncertain. They are known to persist only in the Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area of southwestern Mongolia. Because of their present low population size, restricted range, and limited available habitat, further declines may be imminent. The Gobi bear is listed in the Mongolian Red Book of Endangered Species, a categorization that was validated by the bear’s designation as Critically Endangered in the November 2005 Mongolian Biodiversity Databank Assessment Workshop.
Craighead Beringia South has helpeed develop science-based strategies that are effective for recovery of Mongolia’s Gobi bear population from its present Critically Endangered status.
Can a group of researchers pool some of their project resources and work together to study sympatric large carnivores in a temperate, native community where they haven't existed for more than a half a century? The answer to this question was sought in 1998 when Howard Quigley brought together wolf, bear, and cougar researchers working on the Northern Range of Yellowstone National Park. And, the answer is a resounding, and proven, yes. With an expanding grizzly bear population and the re-introduction of wolves, the Yellowstone ecosystem now contains black bears, grizzly bears, cougars, and wolves interacting in the same environment once again. This provides the potential for scientific investigations to provide new understanding and insights into the workings of a complete carnivore community, its many interactions between carnivore species, and its interactions with other elements of the ecosystem. The ultimate objective of this new understanding is to assist in better conservation and management of carnivores in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and beyond.
In 1999 a study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that events occurring during migration and on wintering areas are correlated with low productivity of a population of Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We describe the migration routes, length of migration, duration of migration, weather influences on migration, and make an environmental assessment of wintering areas. Additional research objectives are to quantify factors affecting Red-tailed Hawk productivity, specifically; prey abundance, egg and nestling predation, influences of weather, nest site competition, parasite levels, habitat selection, and human disturbance.
One of the main goals of Craighead Beringia South has always been education and training young biologists to invest in the future of our ecosystems and wildlife. Every year CBS accepts one or two future ecologists into the internship program; typically students beginning their college studies in wildlife or related fields. These young biologists learn valuable field techniques and assist in all of the programs at Craighead Beringia South.
