SELECTIVE MOOSE HARVEST IN NORTH CENTRAL ONTARIO - A PROGRESS REPORT

Ontario introduced a province-wide sex and age selective harvest strategy for moose (Alces alces) in 1983. The program was designed to double the provincial moose population by the year 2000 by controlling the annual hunter harvest of bulls and cows in 67 Wildlife Management Units (WMU’s). In north-central Ontario the harvest sex/age ratio has averaged 54% bulls, 28% cows and 18% calves in 14 WMU's after eight years. A step-wise increase In the calf kill and corresponding decrease in the cow kill has occurred. There appears to be a trend towards a higher proportion of breeders and a lower proportion of yearlings and teens in both the adult bull and cow harvest. Demand for adult tags and success rates continues to increase in many WMU's as hunters report seeing more moose. Aerial inventories since 1983 suggest that populations in WMU's west of Lake Nipigon have generally reached or exceeded year 2000 targets while those to the east have failed to respond. Data for two WMU's, one representing a population response and the other, relative population stability are analyzed and discussed. Population densities in these WMU's are believed related, in part to differences in winter severity and land capability. Densities in both have declined slightly since 1988 as current mortality rates from all sources exceed annual recruitment. Adjacent jurisdictions (Isle Royale and northeastern Minnesota) display similar trends to several adjoining WMU's, regardless of density, hunter harvest or the presence or absence of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Increased winter tick (Dermacentor albipictus) mortality, triggered by short-term changes in weather patterns in the late 1980’s, is believed responsible for synchronous population declines in northeastern Minnesota and on Isle Royale. It is possible that ticks were also involved in similar declines seen in WMU’s 11B, 13 and 14, although the evidence is circumstantial. We recommend current WMU population and harvest targets to be reviewed and adjusted to land capability; that lower and more flexible harvest rates will be tailored to sustain and local populations, and that further research on weather-related population changes can be undertaken

REVIEWING ONTARIO’S MOOSE MANAGEMENT POLICY - 1980-2000 - TARGETS ACHIEVED, LESSONS LEARNED

We examine progress made in meeting the 1980, 20- year Ontario Moose Management Policy (MMP) directive. Specific interim (1985, 1995) and final (year 2000) provincial program targets, including population, harvest, hunting, and viewing opportunities, particularly those in the NW Region, are reported. In addition to MMP guidelines, other management policy achievements and shortfalls pertaining to harvest control, population management, enforcement, habitat management, inventory and assessment, research, and hunter education are discussed. Provincially, moose numbers have increased only 7-20% throughout the 1990s plateauing at 100,000- 120,000 while the number of adult tags has almost been halved. Hunter numbers during this period have increased by about 4% and total harvest has remained fairly constant. Adult tag draw success has declined and success in filling a tag has increased while harvest remained similar in absolute numbers. This suggests that factors other than hunting pressure are limiting further population growth. Knowledge gained since 1980 suggests overall population and harvest targets are unattainable and should be revised using adaptive management principles, to more closely reflect land capability and societal demands. Reduced hunter reporting rates in recent years have jeopardized the quality of harvest estimates and diminished overall hunter confidence. Recommendations for policy changes, including revisions to program direction and targets, are made based on lessons learned

TESTING THE SENSITIVITY OF MOOSE HARVEST DATA TO CHANGES IN AERIAL POPULATION ESTIMATES IN ONTARIO

A model for predicting moose winter density in northcentral Ontario was computed using a stepwise linear regression relating 29 aerial census estimates to 4 harvest variables: percent hunter success, percent calves in the fall harvest, days hunted per kill and moose seen per hunter. The final model was: Moose density (/km2) = -0.065 + 1.073 (arcsine percent hunter success) + 0.554 (arcsine percent calves) (F=14.25, df=27, R2=0.528, p<0.05). It was validated by comparing predicted and observed density estimates for 33 aerial censuses carried out in the same region between 1975 and 1991. Approximately half (15/33) of the predicted density values using the harvest equation fell within the 95 percent  confidence interval of the aerial census estimate. Insufficient sample sizes in mail survey harvest data are believed to have contributed to variations between actual and predicted values in 8 of the 33 data sets. In future, we believe quality harvest data, especially hunter success and percent calves in the harvest, can help identify changes in population densities

Plant community response to the East Amarillo Complex wildfires in the Southern High Plains, USA

Severe wildfires are increasing in extent in the western US. We used a matched-pairs design with plots in burned and non-burned areas to study effects of the East Amarillo Complex (EAC) wildfires on mixed grass prairie mean community composition and variability in composition. Species composition and ground cover data were collected at 5 study sites each year for three years following the EAC. Fire effects on mean species composition were analyzed with permutational analyses of variance; temporal patterns were analyzed with permutational anova and nonmetric multidimensional scaling; and an index of multivariate dispersion was used to assess variability in plant community composition. We found weak immediate impacts (year 1) of wildfire on mean species composition, but strong impacts by year three. Two general patterns of changes in mean species composition emerged: at 3 study sites, there was a progressive divergence in similarity between burned and non-burned areas following wildfire whereas at 2 study sites, wildfire effects lessened over time. In contrast, a trend of increased homogeneity in burned vegetation relative to non-burned vegetation was apparent at all 5 study sites 2 to 3 years post-fire; burned areas also had higher species diversity, higher evenness but similar species richness 3 years post-fire. Ground cover composition, which was immediately impacted by wildfire through removal of residual dry matter, was fully recovered to non-burned conditions 3 years after wildfire. We observed little seedling recruitment either of native or exotic species following wildfire. Community composition changes in burned areas were likely the result of changing dominance relationships among plants that survived the wildfires rather than the result of recruitment of new individuals in gaps created by dead plants. Given the growth form of perennial C4 grasses and the fact that these grasslands evolved in the context of repeated fire, it is likely that changes in mean species composition and compositional variability are short-term responses

Entomological and ecological aspects of six sylvatic species of triatomines (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) from the collection of the National Biodiversity Institute of Costa Rica, Central America

A total of 797 specimens of wild adult triatomines, belonging to six species from the entomological collections of the Costa Rican National Biodiversity Institute, was studied from the standpoint of their relative abundance, as reflected by light traps, distribution in the country, seasonal variations and climatic and altitudinal preferences. Triatoma dimidiata was the most abundant species (32.9% of the total specimens), with a very extensive distribution in different ecological zones, being more common between 100 to 400 m above sea level mainly at the end of the dry season. T. dispar was the third in frequency (21.5%), with narrower distribution, more abundant between 600 to 800 m and scarce during the dry season. Panstrongylus geniculatus and P. rufotuberculatus, second and fourth in frequency (22.1% and 15.1%, respectively), were widely distributed on both the Pacific and Caribbean basins, the former being more common between 80 to 270 m all year round and the latter below 800 m mainly during the first semester. Eratyrus cuspidatus which represented only 4.9% of the insects, was also present on both basins mainly below 200 m with a tendency to be scarce during certain months of the year, and was found in all types of ecological zones. Finally, Rhodnius pallescens, the least abundant species (3.6%) was restricted to very humid areas below 20 m, on the north side and Caribbean basin. With the exception of R. pallescens, males were more commonly found than females. Some epidemiological implications related to the six species are discussed