Bison Grazing as a Potential Tool for Enhancing Endangered Species Habitat
Wildlife Ecology and Management Jocephine Tanner
North American grasslands support a wide diversity of plant and animal species including the endangered black-footed ferret ( Mustela nigripes ) and their prey, prairie dogs ( Cynomys spp). Prairie dog colonies and burrows also provide habitat for ferrets. Bison ( Bison bison ) have a positive association with grazing on prairie dog colonies during the growing season. We hypothesized that focused bison grazing on the edge of prairie dog colonies could facilitate the expansion of the colony and thus create more ferret habitat. Our study objective was to test bison movements related to temporary attractants (scratching posts and mineral licks) placed on prairie dog colonies and uncolonized grasslands. We worked with the Conata Ranch in South Dakota, a private operation that grazes ~300 bison on US Forest Service lands during the growing season. We established four plots; two on the edge of active prairie dog colonies and two at random, uncolonized locations in the same pasture. We measured the distance between bison locations (85 visual locations, 1,448 GPS locations) and four scratching post plots for three successive time periods; one month before plots, one week during plots, and three weeks after plots were removed. We found a difference in distance between bison locations (visual or GPS) and the scratch plots, suggesting bison were attracted to plots and may have increased use as evidenced by grass removal and hair left on scratch posts. Our results suggest that temporary attractants may increase bison grazing at specific points and influence prairie dog colonies for ferret habitat.
Advisors: Travis Livieri, Ph.D.
Subject Area: Wildlife
Type: Poster
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UW-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources
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