Range monitoring - Bison: Range condition and food habits of bison and sympatric ungulates on the upper Chitina River, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Miquelle DG, Peek JM, Connery B, Bullington P. Range monitoring - Bison: Range condition and food habits of bison and sympatric ungulates on the upper Chitina River, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. 1984
DUPLICATE PROJECT 1039358 (this one is more complete) Bison (Bison bison) were introduced into Alaska in 1928 and in 1965 (Peek and Miquelle 1987). Of the four herds in Alaska, two reside within WRST on the Copper and Chitina Rivers. This study was initiated in 1984 to determine if the park’s bison populations were adversely affecting plant communities or competing with native herbivores (Miquelle 1985). The study was initiated to obtain a preliminary analysis of food habits and range conditions of areas used by bison. The primary objectives were to: 1) analyze food habits by collecting fecal material for microhistological examination; 2) survey grazing leases and areas believed to be important components of the bison range to determine conditions and assess bison impact; 3) provide an index of the degree of overlap in habitat use by bison, moose, and horses; 4) initiate a range survey so that vegetation conditions and ungulate impact can be monitored in the future (The researcher established that vegetation trends be studied every 5 years.), and; 5) gather information on habitat use and distribution of bison on the Chitina River. The transect were re-read in 1989 which was the first and only rereading to date after the completion of the study.
- Type
- Project
- Authors
- Miquelle, Dale; Peek, James; Connery, Bruce; Bullington, Pam
- Units
- CAKN , WRST
- Keywords
- buffalo, Chitina River, Competition, domestic animals, Grazing, Herbivores, Horses, Moose, Plains Bison, Range Condition, range monitoring, Ungulates, Vegetation, Wildlife Habitat
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Mammals , Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Landscape Dynamics | Land Cover and Use
Program
Products
- Are bison exotic in the Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve?
- Food habits and range conditions of bison and sympatric ungulates on the Upper Chitina River, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
- 1998 National Park Service bison management workshop: summary of bison ecology and management in Wrangell-St Elias National Park
- Follow-up monitoring survey on the Chitina River bison habitat permanent transects