Neithercut Management Plan
Central Michigan University
Wildlife Biology and Management
Bio 541
Fall 2007
Ruth Howell Paul Irving
Rebecca Davarn Sienna Britton
Introduction
• Predatory Mammals of Neithercut– Mustela erminea– Urocyon cineoargentus– Lynx rufus– Canis latrans
The Ermine: Mustela erminea
• Family Mustelidae-includes Mink, Otter, Ferrets, Badgers, Martens, Skunks.
• North American Distribution widespread.• Typically coexists with one other type of
weasel, except in the tension zone.• White pelt in winter.
Photo: Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
Steve Gehman
The Ermine: Mustela erminea
• Reproduction– No pair bonding– Early maturation– Delayed implantation
• 9-10 months• Early summer mating= early
spring birth. Litter size 4-6
• Behavior– Solitary – Territorial
• Females close to home
Photos courtesy of Animal Diversity Web
The Ermine: Mustela erminea
• Generalist predator• Diet differs between
sexes– Voles and deer mice
• Sexually dimorphic• Habitat : dens of prey
species, tree snags.
Deer Mouse Image courtesy of Smithsonian
Ermine eating a meadow vole courtesy of Google
The Ermine: Mustela erminea
• Small bodies – 180-200 gms in weight
• High pulse rate and Temperature– 360-390bpm– 102 F
• Short digestive tracts• High energy mammal
Photo from Usenet
The Gray Fox: Urocyon cineoargentus
• Canidae• 7 subspecies
– Extirpated– Recent range expansion
• Length and Weight– 2 - 7 Kilograms– 78 to 112 centimeters
• Gray vs. Red fox?
www.bear-tracker.com/grayfox.gif
http://www.rom.on.ca/ontario/images/risk/maps/na-132.gif
http://www.northernwilds.com/press/moxiepix/a55.jpg
The Gray Fox: Urocyon cineoargentus
http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/images/taiga/red_rox_371.jpg
http://www.rivernen.ca/fox_4.jpg
• Markings– Black vs. white tail– Pelt color– Fur-bearers/ trappers
• Climbing ability
The Gray Fox: Urocyon cineoargentus
• Reproduction– Altricial – Monogamous
• Family aggregates• Generalist
– Plant matter to cottontails
• Predators– Golden eagles– coyote – bobcat
http://www3.cesa10.k12.wi.us/ecosystems/wetlands/animals/grayfox/greyfox.jpeg
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.greeneart.com/images/CH3_01-C.JPG&imgrefurl=http://greeneart.com/ladygray.html&h=558&w=700&sz=131&hl=en&start=43&tbnid=K30dhpJSbd_IdM:&tbnh=112&tbnw=140&prev=/images%3Fq%3DGray%2BFox%26start%3D40%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
The Bobcat: Lynx rufus
Description: • Michigan’s smallest non-domesticated cat• Still 2-3 times the size of a domesticated cat • Generally grey to reddish brown, and have a blotchy pattern on both
dorsal and ventral surfaces• Has ear tufts similar to lynx, yet smaller in size• Also has a bearded look similar to the lynx, yet less prominent• Has a white ventral side of tail, distinguishing it from the lynx
Measurements:The length of a bobcat is 750-1,100 mm, tail length is 130- 180 mm,
and the total weight is between 5-16 kg
animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bobcat.html - 44k -
The Bobcat: Lynx rufus
Location: • Once be found in all parts of Michigan • Now, bobcats range from southern Canada through most of the U.S.
and deep into Mexico • Due to an increase in roads, agriculture, and ultimately population,
there are now areas in southern Lower Michigan without bobcats
• habitat includes upland hardwoods, hardwood-conifer mixed forest,
lowland swamps, and also riparian zones
animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bobcat.html - 44k -
The Bobcat: Lynx rufus
www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/bobcat.html Behavior and Reproduction:
• Very solitary • Urine markings and feces will deter others • Scratching posts, 1-1.2 m above ground also define an adults
territory • Will travel up to 10-100 square km for food or mating purposes, and
up to 12 km in one night• female bobcat territory will not overlap with other females, but it may
overlap with adjacent male territories • Transient individuals sometimes have much larger home ranges
and will also often use sub-optimal habitat
The Bobcat: Lynx rufus
• Behavior and Reproduction Continued:• Nocturnal, diurnal• Carnivores and will prey upon rabbits, hares, voles, squirrels,
shrews, bog lemmings, opossums, porcupines, sick or young deer,
and mice; also it has been known to prey upon birds and eat carrion, and occasionally eats frogs and snakes
• Camouflaged colorings to ambush prey and will also sit alongside game trails and wait for prey to come to them.
• Changes sleeping and resting areas almost daily • rest under rock ledges, blown over trees, and inside of tree cavities
• gestation of approximately sixty days, birth in spring, usually during the month of May
• typical liter of bobcats contains 1-4 kittens
The Coyote: Canis latrans
Description
• resemble german shepards• small animals, males tend to weigh around
24-45 lbs. and females tend to weigh around 22-35 lbs.• coyotes have pointed and erect ears and a slender
muzzle
The Coyote: Canis latrans
Habitat use
• They occupy different areas from deserts to forested areas• Occupy different areas according to the different seasons• They require cover from vegetation, especially during breeding
seasons• Den sites are used for raising their young
The Coyote: Canis latrans
Behavior
• Very territorial
• Will defend territory by scent marking (urinating around the borders of their territory), by ground scratching, or howling
• Travel in packs or alone
The Coyote: Canis latrans
Reproduction
• Monogamous
• Breeding season is from late January and mid-February, birth occurs around mid April
• Average litter size is 5 to 7 pups
The Coyote: Canis latrans
Diet• Their food consumption consists of small
mammals, deer (fawn mostly), insects and fruit• For urban coyotes, they rely on pet food, cats
and dogs• Coyotes are known for eating livestock as well
The Coyote: Canis latrans
Range• Coyotes have expanded their ranges from the
upper peninsula of Michigan to the lower peninsula
• Home range for wild coyotes are 10 square kilometers
• Home range for suburb coyotes could be anywhere from 0.5 square kilometers- 40 square kilometers
• They are in every state in the U.S. except Hawaii
Management Goals and Objectives Small mammal surveys -
Via trapping Public and conservation officer sitings Mark and release
Management Goals and Objectives
• Maintain Mature forest– Interior habitat– Stable age/stage
• Thinning – ground cover• Recruitment rates
• Increase Prairie habitat– 20 acres in addition– Prey species benefit– With plantings of clover
• Big Blue stem• Winter wheat
Management Goals and Objectives
• Increase connectivity with habitat patches– Landowners– Corridor Assessments– Reduce edge effects
• Increase Denning/nesting sites– 2-4 Snags– 4-6 brush piles– Slash and burn: 3-5 year rotation
http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/sharemed/targets/images/pho/t051/T051606A.jpghttp://www.rw.ttu.edu/newsletter/images/mnote_15/photo_3.jpg
Management Goals and Objectives
Coyote management May require population reduction
Trapping
The Public Social Carrying Capacity Management recommendations Educational programs
Improving local understanding Town meetings Wildlife programs in schools “Neithercut Neighborhood Days”
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.art.com/images/-/Looney-Tunes---Wile-E-Coyote--C11754810.jpeg&imgrefurl=http://www.wiredandhired.com/2006/02/bleep-that-bleeping-road-runner/&h=425&w=309&sz=29&hl=en&start=7&um=1&tbnid=G6e2RXbYKszw9M:&tbnh=126&tbnw=92&prev=/images%3Fq%3DCoyote%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26sa%3DN
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.wildnatureimages.com/Ca%2520to%2520H/COYOTE..jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.wildnatureimages.com/Coyote.htm&h=403&w=600&sz=83&hl=en&start=77&um=1&tbnid=xRuqezZ0F7JPpM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3DCoyote%26start%3D60%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26sa%3DN
Management Area
• Neithercut Woodland• 252 acres• CMU owned• Previously owned by
Hazel Littlefield
Management Recommendations
• 20 acre slash, burn and planting of native grasses
• Thinning of 3 20 acre plots
• Hair snares• Tree snags• Dens with hair
snags
Current Conditions • Area used mainly for education• Soils: Carbondale muck, Linwood muck, Montcalm loamy sand, Isabella
loam, AuGres sand, Ingalls fine sandy loam and Butternut sandy loam • Mixed hardwood forest of aspen, oak, sugar maple and white birch. The
area also includes white cedar swamps, beech-maple communities, a cattail marsh, shrub swamps and an introduced prairie plot
• Elm creek transects the woodland from the northwest corner to the southeast corner
Evaluation and Monitoring
• Trapping and mark-recapture– Used to distinguish movement patterns
• Radio telemetry– For all 4 species
• Genetic analysis– Hair from snares
• Public surveys• Extensive track surveys
– Winter mostly
www.jesseshunting.com
www.flickr.com
Timeline • Fall: Trapping, Small mammal survey, Timber harvest of
maple/beech, Advertise NND, Create 4-6 den sites, First NND• Winter: 2 sessions of NND, Intensive track survey with WS, Maintain
hair snares, Begin genetic analysis, • Spring: Trapping, Small mammal survey/marking, Clear area around
prairie, Plant mix of warm and cold grasses/crops, 2 sessions of NND, Begin slash/burn rotation
• Summer: Continue trapping and genetic analysis, Several sessions of NND
Year 1
Year 5
Assess what has been done and what changes need to be made
Year 10
Assess management goals/objectives, also assess population numbers
www.flickr.com
Budget
Budget
Funding
Timber Sales < $300
Donations ~$500
Grants ~$500
Classes etc. ~$100/yr
Total: ~$1400
Traps
Live Leg Hold Hair Snares Pitfall Trap Sherman Total:
(6) $600 (8) $80 (10) <$100 (10) ~$20 (3) $60 ~$900
(4) $32
Questions???