Out of administrative control: Absentee owners, resident elk and the shifting nature of wildlife management in southwestern Montana

Haggerty, Julia H.; Travis, William R.

doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2005.12.004

Cited by 99 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Similar phenomena have been noted in research conducted in western Montana, where a vast increase in the elk population not only encouraged some landowners to sell their land but also led those who stayed to shift their operations by selling hunting access to their land; thus, they are simultaneously managing elk populations and earning additional income (Haggerty and Travis 2006). This suggests that traditional landowners, while not changing their primary motivations as ranchers, are still influenced by the broader social and economic environment to the extent that they will adapt their land management strategies to the new social and ecological conditions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

A life course approach to understanding social drivers of rangeland conversion

Hurst¹,

Ramsdell²,

Sorice³

2017

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Grassland to woodland conversion, also known as woody plant encroachment (WPE), is a global-scale phenomena caused in large part by changes in social processes that affect rural land use patterns. Woody plant encroachment has raised serious concerns for species conservation, provision of ecosystem services, and viability of rural livelihoods and cultures. We examined the social drivers of WPE using a case study of rangelands in a semi-arid watershed. We employed the life course framework to understand how ranchers have made land ranch management decisions in the context of time, culture, and social change. We interviewed landowners whose families have been on the land for at least two generations to examine (1) the social context influencing a landowner's decision to increase or decrease their involvement in ranching over their life span, and (2) the historical events that facilitated constrained involvement. We relate these changes in involvement to the expansion of woody plants. Three major turning points were related to changes in ranching involvement: graduating high school, retirement, and infirmity of a parent. We found that changes in ranching involvement were influenced by large-scale shifts in culture, market regulations, and land values throughout the 20th century. These shifts led to three behavioral changes on the land that facilitated WPE: (1) changes in livestock following the collapse of the sheep and goat market, (2) increased popularity of hunting, and (3) decreased labor availability on the ranch. These observations illustrate the complex social and ecological forces at work throughout the 20th century that have led to land transformation in central Texas.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

A life course approach to understanding social drivers of rangeland conversion

Hurst¹,

Ramsdell²,

Sorice³

2017

E&S

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“…These results may suggest that residential elk foraging on irrigated agriculture may have access to a greater abundance of high quality forage throughout the season than migratory elk following the elevation-related phenology gradient in the UYRB, which may alter the benefits of residential versus migratory behavior for elk [45,74]. More information is needed on the quantity of high quality forage required by elk throughout the season, however, before we can understand the role of irrigated agriculture on the benefits of migratory versus residential strategies for elk in the UYRB.…”

Section: Spatiotemporal Variation In the Abundance Of High Quality Fomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the GYE, migratory elk are known to follow variation in grassland phenology from their low-elevation winter range to their high-elevation summer range to maximize their access to forage in early growth stages with adequate levels of crude protein and digestibility [43,44]. Recent concern has grown, however, that advances in the timing of spring green-up due to climate warming and shifts in anthropogenic land use may be altering the forage patterns available to migratory elk [16,45,46]. Given this concern, vegetation indices have become especially important for mapping and monitoring spatiotemporal variation in the biomass and quality of forage available to migratory elk across the GYE [11,47].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using NDVI and EVI to Map Spatiotemporal Variation in the Biomass and Quality of Forage for Migratory Elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

2016

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Abstract:The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) have gained considerable attention in ecological research and management as proxies for landscape-scale vegetation quantity and quality. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), these indices are especially important for mapping spatiotemporal variation in the forage available to migratory elk (Cervus elaphus). Here, we examined how the accuracy of using MODIS-derived NDVI and EVI as proxies for forage biomass and quality differed across elevation-related phenology and land use gradients, determined if polynomial NDVI/EVI, site, and season effects improved these models, and then mapped spatiotemporal variation in the abundance of high quality forage available to elk across the Upper Yellowstone River Basin (UYRB) of the GYE. Models with a polynomial NDVI effect explained 19%-55% more variation in biomass than the linear NDVI and EVI models. Models with linear season effect explained 14%-20% more variation in chlorophyll, 37%-69% more variation in crude protein, and 26%-50% more variation in in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) than the linear NDVI and EVI models. Linear NDVI models explained more variation in biomass and quality across the UYRB than the linear EVI models. The accuracy of these models was lowest in grasslands with late onset of growth, in irrigated agriculture, and after the peak in biomass. Forage biomass and quality varied across the elevation-related phenology and land use gradients in the UYRB throughout the season. At their seasonal peak, the abundance of high quality forage for elk was 50% greater in grasslands with late onset of growth and 200% greater in irrigated agriculture than in all other grasslands, suggesting that these grasslands play an especially important role in the movement and fitness of migratory elk. These results provide novel information on the utility of NDVI and EVI for mapping spatiotemporal patterns of forage biomass and quality.

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“…This is especially the case where newcomers control large parcels of land and view the purpose of that land differently from ''traditional'' local expectations (Gosnell et al 2006;Haggerty and Travis 2006;Yung and Belsky 2007), when in-migration is associated with rapid development and population growth (Nelson 2002;Salamon 2003a;Ghose 2004), or when in-migrants change the local balance of political power (Walker and Fortmann 2003;Walker and Hurley 2004). Amenity migrants are often portrayed as lacking in understanding of local traditions and culture, local institutions and local sources of information (Moss 2006).…”

Section: Social Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amenity migration: diverse conceptualizations of drivers, socioeconomic dimensions, and emerging challenges

2009

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Rural communities throughout the postindustrial world are in the midst of a significant transition, sometimes referred to as rural restructuring, as traditional land uses, economic activities, and social arrangements transition to those associated with ''post-productivist'' or ''multifunctional'' landscapes. Amenity migration, the movement of people based on the draw of natural and/or cultural amenities, can be thought of as both driver and implication of this transition, resulting in significant changes in the ownership, use, and governance of rural lands, as well as in the composition and socioeconomic dynamics of rural communities. In concert with other social, economic and political processes, amenity migration is contributing to the fundamental transformation of rural communities throughout the world. This paper presents a review of the social science literature related to the concept of amenity migration, focusing on the ways in which it has been conceptualized, theorized, and documented by different communities of scholars. We then profile and summarize diverse perspectives on drivers and socioeconomic impacts, highlighting emerging challenges and opportunities related to this type of migration occurring at multiple scales and in multiple sites. The paper also identifies and discusses particular areas where further research is needed.

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Out of administrative control: Absentee owners, resident elk and the shifting nature of wildlife management in southwestern Montana

Cited by 99 publications

References 15 publications

A life course approach to understanding social drivers of rangeland conversion

A life course approach to understanding social drivers of rangeland conversion

Using NDVI and EVI to Map Spatiotemporal Variation in the Biomass and Quality of Forage for Migratory Elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Amenity migration: diverse conceptualizations of drivers, socioeconomic dimensions, and emerging challenges

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