Linking Wildlife Populations with Ecosystem Change: State-of-the-Art Satellite Ecology for National-Park Science

As human impacts increase in national parks and the greater ecosystems surrounding them, the National Park Service faces the difficulty of monitoring ecosystem changes and responses of key wildlife indicator species within parks. Responses of bison to trail grooming in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho) and control of the animals once they leave the park (Bruggeman et al. 2007), migration of wildlife across park boundaries (Griffith et al. 2002; Berger 2004), effects of restored wolves on vegetation communities through trophic cascades (Hebblewhite et al. 2005), and responses of wildlife to the use of prescribed fires all represent problems in understanding how the greater park ecosystem and wildlife populations change over time (Fagre et al. 2003). When you also consider ecosystem responses to climate change, the tasks facing national park scientists in the 21st century seem daunting

A Literature Review of the Effects of Energy Development on Ungulates: Implications for Central and Eastern Montana

A literature review of \u3e160 scientific and technical reports was conducted to review the effects of energy development ungulates, separated by important seasonal and habitat types. Effects of energy development and human activity in general were assessed for elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, moose, bighorn sheep and woodland caribou. Weaknesses of the existing literature in addressing and providing guidelines for the management of energy development are presented. A recommended course of action for management oriented research is presented. Finally, a searchable electronic database is developed of the literature including abstracts and digital copies to aid in evaluating future energy development on ungulates