PS 57-69 - Northern Idaho ground squirrel (Urocitellus brunneus) presence influenced by other small mammal species and environmental factors

Thursday, August 15, 2019
Exhibit Hall, Kentucky International Convention Center
Kassandra C. Townsend1, Courtney J Conway2, Kerri T. Vierling3, Austin Allison3 and Deo Lachman4, (1)Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, (2)U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Moscow, ID, (3)Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, (4)Department of Fish and Wildlife, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
Background/Question/Methods

The Northern Idaho ground squirrel is endemic to Adams and Valley Counties in west-central Idaho and are one of the rarest North American mammals. Their populations have decreased due to fire suppression and encroaching forest on their meadow habitat. Due to this they are classified as a Species of Special Concern by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, USDA Forest Service Sensitive Species, and listed as federally threatened under the Endangered Species Act. This study compared two different sites in Adams county for the presence of the Northern Idaho ground squirrels. The goal of this study was to quantify variables hypothesized to influence Northern Idaho ground squirrel presence. Habitat use will allow us to understand if the Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel’s habitat range has increased based on various factors.

We quantified presence of each small mammal species at two sites, Steve’s Creek Rd and YCC, both are used by a collaborative recovery project by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Payette National Forest, Boise National Forest, and Albertsons College. Each site contains forest and meadow habitat, 32 Daubenmire plots were used to identify vegetation. Cameras were placed at each plot to detect presence and identity of any small mammal that entered the study site.

Results/Conclusions

We used logistic regression to assess the influence of multiple variables on the presence or absence of Northern Idaho ground squirrels at our sites. The variables included in the model were whether or not the site was a meadow or forest, which location (YCC or Steve’s), Columbian ground squirrel presence, Yellow Pine chipmunk presence, distance to nearest tree, distance to nearest shrub, and canopy cover. We generated a confusion matrix based on our model and calculated an accuracy of .75. The model had a high AUC score of 0.81. Our results will allow future management and trapping efforts understand the different variables that can influence Northern Idaho ground squirrel presence. This study can also identify different environmental factors that may affect the habitat expansion or constraints of the Northern Idaho ground squirrels.