Modeling large-scale winter recreation terrain selection with implications for recreation management and wildlife

Olson, Lucretia E.; Squires, John R.; Roberts, Elizabeth K.; Miller, Aubrey; Ivan, Jacob S.; Hebblewhite, Mark

doi:10.1016/j.apgeog.2017.06.023

Cited by 27 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Olson et al. () provide detailed explanations of our sampling and analytical methods to characterize winter recreation using GPS telemetry, and provided detailed depictions of resource‐selection patterns of winter recreationists by activity across our study areas. In addition to these modes of recreation, we had opportunities to record recreation tracks made by heliskiing, where skiers or snowboarders were ferried to high‐elevation slopes by helicopters.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Snowmobile tracks were considered on‐trail if GPS points were within 15 m on either side of a known road or trail, and off‐trail if greater than this distance, and hybrid tracks were separated between the ski and snowmobile phases (Olson et al. ). We used a minimum convex polygon of all recreation points combined per study area as a biologically meaningful area to randomly draw available points for RSF analyses.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, Olson et al. ) to be sensitive to forest structure, we included a percent tree canopy‐cover covariate from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD; Homer et al. ) as an index to tree density, a land cover layer indicating the presence of evergreen forest, and a measure of the density of forest edge as an index of forest fragmentation (the length of edge between forest/non‐forest areas as determined by the NLCD land cover layer in a given neighborhood divided by the area).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used RSF models for different modes of winter recreation (e.g., snowmobilers and backcountry skiers) on the same study area from Olson et al. (), as additional covariates for selection models we built for Canada lynx. We also evaluated the resource‐use patterns of Canada lynx to winter recreationists using a novel application of generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs; Gillies et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, Ivan and Shenk ) that is less likely to exclude backcountry skiers compared with motorized recreationists traveling at high speeds (Olson et al. ). Thus, we believed that Canada lynx would select resources in ways that segregated their use areas spatially from motorized recreation given the species’ association with dense forest cover.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Winter recreation and Canada lynx: reducing conflict through niche partitioning

Squires

Olson

Roberts³

et al. 2019

Ecosphere

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Outdoor recreationists are important advocates for wildlife on public lands. However, balancing potential impacts associated with increased human disturbance with the conservation of sensitive species is a central issue facing ecologists and land managers alike, especially for dispersed winter recreation due to its disproportionate impact to wildlife. We studied how dispersed winter recreation (outside developed ski areas) impacted a reintroduced meso‐carnivore, Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), at the southern periphery of the species’ range in the southern Rocky Mountains. On a voluntary basis, we distributed global positioning system (GPS) units to winter recreationists and documented 2143 spatial movement tracks of recreationists engaged in motorized and nonmotorized winter sports for a total cumulative distance of 56,000 km from 2010 to 2013. We also deployed GPS radio collars on adult Canada lynx that were resident in the mountainous topography that attracted high levels of dispersed winter recreation. We documented that resource‐selection models (RSFs) for Canada lynx were significantly improved when selection patterns of winter recreationists were included in best‐performing models. Canada lynx and winter recreationists partitioned environmental gradients in ways that reduced the potential for recreation‐related disturbance. Although the inclusion of recreation improved the RSF model for Canada lynx, environmental covariates explained most variation in resource use. The environmental gradients that most separated areas selected by Canada lynx from those used by recreationists were forest canopy closure, road density, and slope. Canada lynx also exhibited a functional response of increased avoidance of areas selected by motorized winter recreationists (snowmobiling off‐trail, hybrid snowmobile) compared with either no functional response (hybrid ski) or selection for (backcountry skiing) areas suitable for nonmotorized winter recreation. We conclude with a discussion of implications associated with providing winter recreation balanced with the conservation of Canada lynx.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Winter recreation and Canada lynx: reducing conflict through niche partitioning

Squires

Olson

Roberts³

et al. 2019

Ecosphere

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Sharing the same slope: Behavioral responses of a threatened mesocarnivore to motorized and nonmotorized winter recreation

Olson

Squires

Roberts

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Winter recreation is a widely popular activity and is expected to increase due to changes in recreation technology and human population growth. Wildlife are frequently negatively impacted by winter recreation, however, through displacement from habitat, alteration of activity patterns, or changes in movement behavior. We studied impacts of dispersed and developed winter recreation on Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) at their southwestern range periphery in Colorado, USA. We used GPS collars to track movements of 18 adult lynx over 4 years, coupled with GPS devices that logged 2,839 unique recreation tracks to provide a detailed spatial estimate of recreation intensity. We assessed changes in lynx spatial and temporal patterns in response to motorized and nonmotorized recreation, as well as differences in movement rate and path tortuosity. We found that lynx decreased their movement rate in areas with high‐intensity back‐country skiing and snowmobiling, and adjusted their temporal patterns so that they were more active at night in areas with high‐intensity recreation. We did not find consistent evidence of spatial avoidance of recreation: lynx exhibited some avoidance of areas with motorized recreation, but selected areas in close proximity to nonmotorized recreation trails. Lynx appeared to avoid high‐intensity developed ski resorts, however, especially when recreation was most intense. We conclude that lynx in our study areas did not exhibit strong negative responses to dispersed recreation, but instead altered their behavior and temporal patterns in a nuanced response to recreation, perhaps to decrease direct interactions with recreationists. However, based on observed avoidance of developed recreation, there may be a threshold of human disturbance above which lynx cannot coexist with winter recreation.

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Wolverines in winter: indirect habitat loss and functional responses to backcountry recreation

et al. 2019

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Outdoor recreation is increasingly recognized to impact nature and wildlife, yet few studies have examined recreation within large natural landscapes that are critical habitat to some of our most rare and potentially disturbance‐sensitive species. Over six winters (2010–2015) and four study areas (>1.1 million ha) in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, we studied the responses of wolverines (Gulo gulo) to backcountry winter recreation. We fit Global Positioning System (GPS) collars to 24 individual wolverines and acquired >54,000 GPS locations over 39 animal‐years during winter (January–April). Simultaneously, we monitored winter recreation, collecting ~6000 GPS tracks (~200,000 km) from backcountry recreationists. We combined the GPS tracks with trail use counts and aerial recreation surveys to map the extent and relative intensity of motorized and non‐motorized recreation. We integrated our wolverine and backcountry recreation data to (1) assess patterns of wolverine habitat selection and (2) evaluate the effect of backcountry recreation on wolverine habitat relationships. We used resource selection functions to model habitat selection of male and female wolverines within their home ranges. We first modeled habitat selection for environmental covariates to understand male and female habitat use then incorporated winter recreation covariates. We assessed the potential for indirect habitat loss from winter recreation and tested for functional responses of wolverines to differing levels and types of recreation. Motorized recreation occurred at higher intensity across a larger footprint than non‐motorized recreation in most wolverine home ranges. Wolverines avoided areas of both motorized and non‐motorized winter recreation with off‐road recreation eliciting a stronger response than road‐based recreation. Female wolverines exhibited stronger avoidance of off‐road motorized recreation and experienced higher indirect habitat loss than male wolverines. Wolverines showed negative functional responses to the level of recreation exposure within the home range, with female wolverines showing the strongest functional response to motorized winter recreation. We suggest indirect habitat loss, particularly to females, could be of concern in areas with higher recreation levels. We speculate that the potential for backcountry winter recreation to affect wolverines may increase under climate change if reduced snow pack concentrates winter recreationists and wolverines in the remaining areas of persistent snow cover.

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Modeling large-scale winter recreation terrain selection with implications for recreation management and wildlife

Cited by 27 publications

References 36 publications

Winter recreation and Canada lynx: reducing conflict through niche partitioning

Winter recreation and Canada lynx: reducing conflict through niche partitioning

Sharing the same slope: Behavioral responses of a threatened mesocarnivore to motorized and nonmotorized winter recreation

Wolverines in winter: indirect habitat loss and functional responses to backcountry recreation

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