Status and Distribution of Mammals on Public Lands

Research Task: 8327CN7.5.0
Task Manager: Ernest Valdez

Despite over 125 years of mammal surveys in the western U.S., large tracts of public land have never been systematically surveyed. These unstudied areas include many national wildlife refuges, national parks and monuments, and other resource management areas. As a result, there is an imperfect understanding of what mammal species occur on public lands, a deficiency in knowing how to manage those species, and a lack of information on status, population levels, and other ecosystem information. In the interest of rectifying this situation, several Federal agencies are funding baseline inventories, monitoring efforts, and status surveys for mammals. In 2000, the National Park Service initiated a nationwide program to obtain better information on occurrence of vertebrates and plants on NPS lands. Region 6 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was a leader in funding work to acquire information on the status and distribution of mammals on refuge lands. In 2001, FORT scientists joined these efforts as a cooperator to conduct surveys for terrestrial and volant mammals occurring on national parks and monuments in the NPS Northern and Southern Colorado Plateau Networks as well as wildlife refuges in Nebraska. They also cooperated with other Federal agencies in conducting field studies and surveys of mammals of mutual interest, such as low-level surveys for mammals in the Bureau of Land Management’s Henry Mountains Resource Area in Utah. Additionally, FORT staff interact and cooperate with universities and State wildlife agencies, such as the University of New Mexico, Texas Tech, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, in connection with mammalian surveys. Since 2001, small-mammal inventories have been conducted on more than 21 national parks, monuments, wildlife refuges, and other public lands representing a variety of habitat types from Chihuahuan desert to northern boreal forest. Results from these surveys, as well as interactions and communication among personnel from the various agencies, have increased and enhanced available information on mammals needed for more effective management of their habitats.

 For more information contact Ernest Valdez

Related Products

Publications

• Mammal inventories for eight National Parks in the Southern Colorado Plateau Network
• 2001-2002 mammalian inventory final report for selected Northern Colorado Plateau Network parks