Mountain lions studied to track their population size
By By MEGAN ALLENIn the Oquirrh mountains above Camp Williams and Kennecott Copper Mine, 12 mountain lions are being tracked with GPS collars and studied by USU doctoral student David Stoner. Stoner, who is working on his Ph.D in wildlife ecology under wildland resources professor, Dr. Michael Wolfe, came into the program mid-project. Wolfe began studying mountain lions on Monroe Mountain outside of Richfield in 1995, and was asked to find the most effective ways to estimate the size of the cougar population.
Wolfe said he and his researchers first tried track counts, aerial surveys and using the capture and recapture method to estimate the size of the cougar population, but could not come up with any "silver bullet" techniques. The land they were studying was not closed to hunters, he said, so animals were being killed, throwing off their counts.
"Cougars are very elusive animals. They are mostly nocturnal and do not travel in groups," he said. "Plus, in comparison to other animals, they are not a large population."
The area of the Oquirrh mountains that is being studied is closed to hunters, so the animals are not exploited, he said.
Stoner said he became interested in studying mountain lions while working on a research project after he graduated with his bachelor's degree. He was studying deer populations and the role of their predators, such as mountain lions. This study led to his involvement as a technician on the Monroe study, which led him to his graduate work.
"The model of research we do is very applicable to many places in the country," Stoner said.
The land they are studying is deer rangeland with potential to be converted from agricultural land to subdivision property, he said."It's about two communities coming together," he said. "The people and the animals all use the suburban interface to varying degrees. The research is happening on two different scales. They are studying the animals in the whole area, as well as in the marginal habitat. Wolfe said the main goal of their research is to find out what these animals are doing.
"No one really hears a lot about the lions," he said. "The media focuses on them only when they come down from the mountains or on the rare occasion someone is attacked, but that's not what they really do." In the last 110 years, there have been approximately 50 people attacked by cougars, he said. Most attacks have happened in California and British Columbia. "People really don't have anything to worry about," Stoner said, "they just need to be aware."
The mountain lions who are the most apt to come into the valley are young males."They are not tolerated by their society," Wolfe said. "Their mothers don't want them, their fathers don't want them, so they are left completely on their own." The young lions cannot take care of themselves and come down to the valley to find food and help. Wolfe said in one occurrence, two young lions wandered down from the Kennecott site and ended up in downtown Salt Lake City. The fountains at Temple Square are a water source from City Creek, which is an ideal riparian environment for them.Another kitten has been nicknamed "the Sundance kid" after he came down from Kennecott through Provo and ended up on property owned by Robert Redford.
One chapter of Stoner's doctoral dissertation will focus on this investigation of the urban dispersal of the cougars. Another part of the dissertation will talk about wildlife management at the state scale and how it varies.
The recent fire at Camp Williams should actually be beneficial for the mountain lions in the long term, Wolfe said. Once the plants that were burned grow back, they will be higher in protein and iron, which will be healthier for the cats.
If the plants are more beneficial to the animals, they will be more likely to eat it, even though they don't love it, he said.
"The oakbrush is not an ice cream sundae," he said.
Stoner will be defending his dissertation in the spring and will graduate in May.
Wolfe said he and his researchers first tried track counts, aerial surveys and using the capture and recapture method to estimate the size of the cougar population, but could not come up with any "silver bullet" techniques. The land they were studying was not closed to hunters, he said, so animals were being killed, throwing off their counts.
"Cougars are very elusive animals. They are mostly nocturnal and do not travel in groups," he said. "Plus, in comparison to other animals, they are not a large population."
The area of the Oquirrh mountains that is being studied is closed to hunters, so the animals are not exploited, he said.
Stoner said he became interested in studying mountain lions while working on a research project after he graduated with his bachelor's degree. He was studying deer populations and the role of their predators, such as mountain lions. This study led to his involvement as a technician on the Monroe study, which led him to his graduate work.
"The model of research we do is very applicable to many places in the country," Stoner said.
The land they are studying is deer rangeland with potential to be converted from agricultural land to subdivision property, he said."It's about two communities coming together," he said. "The people and the animals all use the suburban interface to varying degrees. The research is happening on two different scales. They are studying the animals in the whole area, as well as in the marginal habitat. Wolfe said the main goal of their research is to find out what these animals are doing.
"No one really hears a lot about the lions," he said. "The media focuses on them only when they come down from the mountains or on the rare occasion someone is attacked, but that's not what they really do." In the last 110 years, there have been approximately 50 people attacked by cougars, he said. Most attacks have happened in California and British Columbia. "People really don't have anything to worry about," Stoner said, "they just need to be aware."
The mountain lions who are the most apt to come into the valley are young males."They are not tolerated by their society," Wolfe said. "Their mothers don't want them, their fathers don't want them, so they are left completely on their own." The young lions cannot take care of themselves and come down to the valley to find food and help. Wolfe said in one occurrence, two young lions wandered down from the Kennecott site and ended up in downtown Salt Lake City. The fountains at Temple Square are a water source from City Creek, which is an ideal riparian environment for them.Another kitten has been nicknamed "the Sundance kid" after he came down from Kennecott through Provo and ended up on property owned by Robert Redford.
One chapter of Stoner's doctoral dissertation will focus on this investigation of the urban dispersal of the cougars. Another part of the dissertation will talk about wildlife management at the state scale and how it varies.
The recent fire at Camp Williams should actually be beneficial for the mountain lions in the long term, Wolfe said. Once the plants that were burned grow back, they will be higher in protein and iron, which will be healthier for the cats.
If the plants are more beneficial to the animals, they will be more likely to eat it, even though they don't love it, he said.
"The oakbrush is not an ice cream sundae," he said.
Stoner will be defending his dissertation in the spring and will graduate in May.
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