Detailed project information for Study Plan Number 03052 |
Branch : | Southern Appalachian Field Branch |
Study Plan Number : | 03052 |
Study Title : | Population Dynamics of Black Bears in the Upper Atchafayala Basin, Louisiana |
Starting Date : | 05/01/2007 |
Completion Date : | 12/31/2010 |
Principal Investigator(s) : | Clark, Joe |
Primary PI : | Clark, Joe |
Telephone Number : | (865) 974-4790 |
Email Address : | jclark1@usgs.gov |
SIS Number : | |
Primary Program Element : | |
Second Program Element : | |
Status : | Active |
Abstract : | BACKGROUND
Black bear (Ursus americanus) habitat in the Mississippi alluvial plain is fragmented due to land clearing for agriculture; >80% of the bottomland hardwood habitat has been lost (Neal 1990). As a consequence, bear populations in the region exist in often isolated fragments of wooded habitat (Pelton 2001). In 1992, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service granted the Louisiana black bear (U. a. luteolus) threatened status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Louisiana black bears are found in 3 main populations located at Tensas National Wildlife Refuge (Tensas), the upper Atchafalaya River (Atchafalaya), and along the coast (Coastal) in Louisiana. These bear populations are small and isolated and, as such, are vulnerable because of loss of genetic diversity due to inbreeding and due to stochastic demographic processes. A repatriation program has been ongoing since 2001 to bolster the bear population network. Sixteen adult females with 40 cubs have been translocated from the Tensas population to an area referred to as the Red River Repatriation Area (Red River). OBJECTIVESOur objectives are to estimate bear population size, density, survival rates, and population growth rates at Upper Atchafayala. HYPOTHESES TO BE TESTEDCurrent black bear growth rates are positive at Upper Atchafayala. |
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