Guidelines for Citizen Scientists Monitoring Wildlife on Removed Roads
Citizen science is a powerful way to monitor the long-term trends and conditions of natural systems while also encouraging a stewardship ethic for natural resources. Citizen science is popular across the United States: according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there were more than 772 citizen monitoring projects across the country in 1998, mostly focusing on stream ecosystems. Participants in these projects become intimately acquainted with the systems they monitor, and often become advocates for their protection and conservation.
The following guidelines are part of a continuing series, and were developed to assist citizen scientists in monitoring changes in wildlife activity after road removal.
Background
Many species of terrestrial wildlife are heavily influenced by roads. Wisdom et al. (2000) reviewed the impacts of forest and range roads on animals. They reported that roads and road-associated factors had a negative effect on more than 70 percent of the species reviewed. Roads directly or indirectly lead to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, over-trapping, snag reduction, negative edge effects (including increased noxious weed infiltration), movement barriers, displacement or avoidance, harassment or disturbance at specific use sites, and chronic negative interactions with humans. Additionally, intact habitat has been proven more valuable for various species of wildlife, so removing wildland roads will likely benefit wildlife.
Measuring wildlife use on removed roads can be a powerful indicator of ecological health and well-being. By implementing these methods, citizen scientists can gain information on how road removal affects wildlife species composition and abundance, changes in animal movement patterns, and the rate of colonization of patches of suitable habitat by species that were previously absent from those areas (Townsend and Switalski 2004). No studies have been published on the monitoring of wildlife use of closed roads, though this method has been tested as part of a preliminary pilot study. That pilot study was used to create the techniques for these methods for citizen scientists.
Setting Up the Study
Wildlife should be monitored on both removed and open roads. A minimum of 4 to 5 replicate plots per treatment type make it more likely that differences between treatments can be detected statistically. Each group of plots on a removed road should be paired with a group of untreated or “control” plots on an open or gated road in similar habitat (aspect, elevation, soils, etc.), and preferably nearby.
Three different techniques can be employed to monitor mammals on removed roads, with the aim of capturing the widest variety of mammals possible. Camera stations, track stations, and track plates are each geared toward capturing the sign of mammals of different size-classes. Camera stations can be adjusted to capture small, medium, or large sized mammals, but are used primarily for medium- and large-sized mammals. Track stations work best for smaller and medium-sized mammals, due to the fact that they are covered and therefore limit the size of animals with access to the tracking medium. Sand track plates can capture mammals of various sizes, but work best for medium and large mammals because an animal needs considerable weight to make an impression in the sand. By using these three tracking techniques concurrently, a monitoring program will be more successful than if only one or two of the techniques are used.
Camera Stations
Camera stations are one of the easiest ways to track wildlife, and also one of the most rewarding. Catching a photo of an elk, moose, or black bear can be exciting. In our pilot study we used MC2-G “Stealth Cams” — they have a passive infrared sensor that triggers the 35 mm camera. Mount the cameras on trees adjacent to gated and removed roads (see photo), or next to existing wildlife trails on removed roads. Camera stations automatically photograph animals that interrupt the infrared “trip” beam. Adjust the height of the beam to capture medium and large-sized mammals.
Program the cameras to take three photos consecutively when triggered, with a 60-second delay between each. The camera should be set to record the date on each photo. Maintain the stations once a week at a minimum and twice a week ideally by recording the number of photos taken and changing the film and batteries if necessary. The maintenance interval can be adjusted based on the frequency of photo captures at various sites. When removing film, be sure to mark the canister with the station location and the date.
A combination of track and camera stations should be set out concurrently — as little as one camera station could be set in combination with 5 to 8 track plates. Camera stations have the distinct advantage of being able to identify individual animals and they function in nearly all types of weather, except extreme cold.
Track Stations
Track stations consist of an 18” X 36” sheet metal plate covered with a tracking medium of blue carpenter’s chalk sprayed onto the metal surface and allowed to dry. In the center of the plate, place a 12” X 18” piece of white contact paper sticky side up and affixed with double-sided carpet tape. The contact paper can be removed so that any track recorded can be kept as a permanent record. Place a small can of cat food in the center of the contact paper and secure it to the surface with double-sided tape. Stake down the edges of the metal track plate with tent stakes, and cover the plate with aluminum roofing, forming an arch to protect the plate from rain (see photo). Wear work gloves and be careful when handling the sheet metal and aluminum roofing, as the edges may be sharp.
Inspect the stations weekly at a minimum, or every 2-3 days, ideally. Identify any wildlife tracks, collect and save the tracks in sheet protectors and record information on a data sheet. If there are prints on the metal sheet, take a picture and make a note of it on the data sheet. Recoat the plates with chalk, place a new piece of contact paper in the center, and re-bait the station if all the cat food has been consumed.
Track Plates
Sand track plates consist simply of flattened areas of ground spread with a layer of sand (about 1-2 inches thick), which is then flattened to allow for tracks to be imprinted in the surface. Use a small shovel or trowel to make a flat area on the uphill side of the removed road you are monitoring, which is where wildlife generally makes a trail. Track plates should be roughly 2’ x 2.’ When a track is made in a sand plate, photograph and measure it using calipers. Note on the data sheet where the photograph was taken and any other significant information pertaining to the site or the conditions in which the track was found. Also be sure to include an object in the photograph as a size reference. A ruler works best, but any easily recognizable object will work (a hand, a pen or pencil).
These three wildlife monitoring techniques should give an accurate impression of how wildlife use an area after roads have been removed. Over time, the data collected by citizen scientists employing these three techniques can be used to gain a better understanding of the effects of road removal on wildlife. Data sheets for this and other road removal monitoring will be available soon on Wildlands CPR’s website at www.wildlandscpr.org.
References
Townsend, S., and T.A. Switalski. 2004. Guidelines for wildlife monitoring following road decommissioning. Wildlands CPR, Missoula, MT. 15 p.
Wisdom, M.J., R.S. Holthausen, B.C. Wales, C.D. Hargis, V.A. Saab, D.C. Lee, W.J. Hann, T.D. Rich, M.M. Rowland, W.J. Murphy, and M.R. Eames. 2000. Source habitats for terrestrial vertebrates of focus in the interior Columbia basin: broad-scale trends and management implications. Volume 1 – Overview. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-485. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. Available at: <http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/gtr485/gtr485v1.pdf>
— Katherine Court is a graduate student in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana.
The following guidelines are part of a continuing series, and were developed to assist citizen scientists in monitoring changes in wildlife activity after road removal.
Background
Many species of terrestrial wildlife are heavily influenced by roads. Wisdom et al. (2000) reviewed the impacts of forest and range roads on animals. They reported that roads and road-associated factors had a negative effect on more than 70 percent of the species reviewed. Roads directly or indirectly lead to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, over-trapping, snag reduction, negative edge effects (including increased noxious weed infiltration), movement barriers, displacement or avoidance, harassment or disturbance at specific use sites, and chronic negative interactions with humans. Additionally, intact habitat has been proven more valuable for various species of wildlife, so removing wildland roads will likely benefit wildlife.
Measuring wildlife use on removed roads can be a powerful indicator of ecological health and well-being. By implementing these methods, citizen scientists can gain information on how road removal affects wildlife species composition and abundance, changes in animal movement patterns, and the rate of colonization of patches of suitable habitat by species that were previously absent from those areas (Townsend and Switalski 2004). No studies have been published on the monitoring of wildlife use of closed roads, though this method has been tested as part of a preliminary pilot study. That pilot study was used to create the techniques for these methods for citizen scientists.
Setting Up the Study
Wildlife should be monitored on both removed and open roads. A minimum of 4 to 5 replicate plots per treatment type make it more likely that differences between treatments can be detected statistically. Each group of plots on a removed road should be paired with a group of untreated or “control” plots on an open or gated road in similar habitat (aspect, elevation, soils, etc.), and preferably nearby.
Three different techniques can be employed to monitor mammals on removed roads, with the aim of capturing the widest variety of mammals possible. Camera stations, track stations, and track plates are each geared toward capturing the sign of mammals of different size-classes. Camera stations can be adjusted to capture small, medium, or large sized mammals, but are used primarily for medium- and large-sized mammals. Track stations work best for smaller and medium-sized mammals, due to the fact that they are covered and therefore limit the size of animals with access to the tracking medium. Sand track plates can capture mammals of various sizes, but work best for medium and large mammals because an animal needs considerable weight to make an impression in the sand. By using these three tracking techniques concurrently, a monitoring program will be more successful than if only one or two of the techniques are used.
Camera Stations
Camera stations are one of the easiest ways to track wildlife, and also one of the most rewarding. Catching a photo of an elk, moose, or black bear can be exciting. In our pilot study we used MC2-G “Stealth Cams” — they have a passive infrared sensor that triggers the 35 mm camera. Mount the cameras on trees adjacent to gated and removed roads (see photo), or next to existing wildlife trails on removed roads. Camera stations automatically photograph animals that interrupt the infrared “trip” beam. Adjust the height of the beam to capture medium and large-sized mammals.
Program the cameras to take three photos consecutively when triggered, with a 60-second delay between each. The camera should be set to record the date on each photo. Maintain the stations once a week at a minimum and twice a week ideally by recording the number of photos taken and changing the film and batteries if necessary. The maintenance interval can be adjusted based on the frequency of photo captures at various sites. When removing film, be sure to mark the canister with the station location and the date.
A combination of track and camera stations should be set out concurrently — as little as one camera station could be set in combination with 5 to 8 track plates. Camera stations have the distinct advantage of being able to identify individual animals and they function in nearly all types of weather, except extreme cold.
Track Stations
Track stations consist of an 18” X 36” sheet metal plate covered with a tracking medium of blue carpenter’s chalk sprayed onto the metal surface and allowed to dry. In the center of the plate, place a 12” X 18” piece of white contact paper sticky side up and affixed with double-sided carpet tape. The contact paper can be removed so that any track recorded can be kept as a permanent record. Place a small can of cat food in the center of the contact paper and secure it to the surface with double-sided tape. Stake down the edges of the metal track plate with tent stakes, and cover the plate with aluminum roofing, forming an arch to protect the plate from rain (see photo). Wear work gloves and be careful when handling the sheet metal and aluminum roofing, as the edges may be sharp.
Inspect the stations weekly at a minimum, or every 2-3 days, ideally. Identify any wildlife tracks, collect and save the tracks in sheet protectors and record information on a data sheet. If there are prints on the metal sheet, take a picture and make a note of it on the data sheet. Recoat the plates with chalk, place a new piece of contact paper in the center, and re-bait the station if all the cat food has been consumed.
Track Plates
Sand track plates consist simply of flattened areas of ground spread with a layer of sand (about 1-2 inches thick), which is then flattened to allow for tracks to be imprinted in the surface. Use a small shovel or trowel to make a flat area on the uphill side of the removed road you are monitoring, which is where wildlife generally makes a trail. Track plates should be roughly 2’ x 2.’ When a track is made in a sand plate, photograph and measure it using calipers. Note on the data sheet where the photograph was taken and any other significant information pertaining to the site or the conditions in which the track was found. Also be sure to include an object in the photograph as a size reference. A ruler works best, but any easily recognizable object will work (a hand, a pen or pencil).
These three wildlife monitoring techniques should give an accurate impression of how wildlife use an area after roads have been removed. Over time, the data collected by citizen scientists employing these three techniques can be used to gain a better understanding of the effects of road removal on wildlife. Data sheets for this and other road removal monitoring will be available soon on Wildlands CPR’s website at www.wildlandscpr.org.
References
Townsend, S., and T.A. Switalski. 2004. Guidelines for wildlife monitoring following road decommissioning. Wildlands CPR, Missoula, MT. 15 p.
Wisdom, M.J., R.S. Holthausen, B.C. Wales, C.D. Hargis, V.A. Saab, D.C. Lee, W.J. Hann, T.D. Rich, M.M. Rowland, W.J. Murphy, and M.R. Eames. 2000. Source habitats for terrestrial vertebrates of focus in the interior Columbia basin: broad-scale trends and management implications. Volume 1 – Overview. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-485. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. Available at: <http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/gtr485/gtr485v1.pdf>
— Katherine Court is a graduate student in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana.