Conservation Northwest protects and connects old-growth forests and other wild areas from the Washington Coast to the British Columbia Rockies, vital to a healthy future for us, our children, and wildlife. Since 1989, Conservation Northwest has worke
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Conservation Northwest updates Keeping the Northwest wild Fall 2014 19 Panelists Bring experience oVerVIeW oF ThoSe INVITeD Scott Brainerd (Alaska Department of Fish and Game) Dr. Brainerd is a regional research coordinator with the Alaska Depart- ment of Fish and Game out of Fair- banks, Alaska. He has done extensive research on the impacts of breeder loss on pack social structure in Alaska. Along with his colleagues Bridget Borg, omas Meier and Laura Prugh, Dr. Brainerd recently co-authored a paper in the Journal of Animal Ecolog y on the effects of breeder loss on wolf social structure, reproduc- tion and populations. is study highlights the importance of wolves that are breeding in maintaining group unity at the pack level. e study also shows that at the population level, wolves may be resilient to the lethal removal of those wolves that are breeding. Jeremy Bruskotter (Ohio State University) Dr. Bruskotter is an associate profes- sor in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State Uni- versity in Columbus, OH. His research centers on the application of social and psychological theory to the study of fisheries and wildlife management. His particular focus is in how people make decisions related to fisheries and wildlife management, and the origins of resource-related conflicts, especially those that involve wildlife. Dr. Bruskotter recently published an article with co-panelist Dr. Adrian Treves on social toler- ance for predatory wildlife. In this study, they find that social toleration of carnivores, including wolves, does not increase with legalized killing of the species. Additionally, in 2012 Dr. Bruskotter co-authored a review of previous research con- ducted by Dr. L. David Mech on hunting of wolves. Doug Smith (National Park Service) Dr. Smith is a senior wildlife biolo- gist for the National Park Service in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. He has spent 30 years studying wolf biolog y, first in Isle Royale and then in Yellowstone National Park at the time wolves were reintroduced to the area. Dr. Smith has co-authored multiple papers studying how human-induced mortality of individual wolves affects wolf social dynamics and connectivity. He also has spent the last 20 years researching what an un- touched wolf population would look like using Yellowstone as a model. His more recent, unpublished, research looks at the impacts of wolf mortality on connectivity and shows that intact packs increase the amount of dispersal of individual wolves, which in turn may increase connectivity among packs and landscapes. Adrian Treves (University of Wisconsin–Madison) Dr. Treves is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison. His research has focused primarily on public attitudes toward wolves and wolf policy in Wisconsin, behavioral ecolog y of carnivores and risk for people living near them, and methods for mitigating human-wildlife conflicts. In addition to his research on tolerance for predatory wildlife with Dr. Bruskotter mentioned previously, Dr. Treves published another study that looked at data on attitudes toward wolves over an eight-year time frame in Wisconsin. He found that as wolf populations recovered, over time Wisconsin residents increased in agree- ment with statements reflecting fear of wolves, the belief that wolves compete with hunters for deer, and inclination to poach a wolf. is highlights the need for education and inter- ventions that improve attitudes and behavior toward wolves. Rob Wielgus (Washington State University) Dr. Wielgus is an associate profes- sor and director of the Large Carnivore Conservation Lab at Washington State University in Pullman. His research has focused on the population, behavioral and habitat ecolog y of large carnivores, including cougars and wolves, and their prey. Dr. Wielgus' current research is looking at livestock mortality rates in the wolf-occupied areas of Washington over a 15-year period, as well as the ef- fects of non-lethal interventions on reducing wolf depreda- tions and indirect effects on livestock in Washington. Addi- tionally, Dr. Wielgus has researched the impacts of hunting on cougars in Washington and found that heavy hunter harvest corresponded with increased immigration, reduced kitten survival, reduced female population growth, and a younger overall age structure. Light harvest corresponded with in- creased emigration, higher kitten survival, increased female population growth, and an older overall age structure.