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Item Impact: how ecotourism is harming our wild spaces(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2023) Fajack, Zachary Blake; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigThe following thesis looks at how the U.S. National Parks Service has balanced (or at least attempted to balance) two competing goals: to preserve America's wild spaces and make those wild spaces accessible to the public. The thesis explains how the parks came to find themselves in this balancing act and how they have managed to tackle the conflict in the past. The main argument of the thesis is that much of this conflict appeared as the result of the park's implementation of transportation infrastructure. To effectively support this argument, the project broadly goes over how roadways took over much of the transportation infrastructure in the parks and how they negatively impact the environment. The thesis then discusses how the National Parks Service may more effectively combat those impacts. The remainder of the paper dedicates itself to constructing a travel film that effectively communicates the problems and solutions found and details of the film's production. The thesis found that travel films are uniquely suited to this goal and how their utilization may serve as a powerful advocacy device.Item Geomorphology, biodiversity and ecosystem function, and food web dynamics in large riverscapes(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Scholl, Eric Arthur; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Wyatt F. Cross; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Humans have transformed the Earth's surface so extensively that we now play a dominant role in regulating geomorphological processes around the world. These effects are particularly prevalent in large rivers, which despite their high biophysical complexity, face widespread habitat alteration and simplification. The way species respond to such changes will unquestionably impact the structure and function of ecosystems, with cascading effects on numerous goods and services they provide. Consequently, efforts to understand how the physical habitat template shapes the structure and function of larger river ecosystems are critically needed to predict how future perturbations will impact these imperiled and iconic environments. My dissertation blends approaches from the physical and ecological sciences to uncover connections between the geophysical habitat template, biodiversity and ecosystem function, and the dynamics of food webs in large riverscapes. My questions were: 1) what are the spatial patterns and potential drivers of riverbed habitat, and how do they relate to process domain structures in large rivers? 2) how does the geophysical habitat template influence connections between invertebrate diversity and secondary production? and 3) how are trophic interactions supporting the federally endangered Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) shaped by the geophysical habitat template? I found consistent patterns of nested patchiness in riverbed substrate, indicating that multiple factors operating at different scales influence spatial patterns of substrate in the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. Invertebrate assemblages were tied to attributes of the geophysical habitat template, with strong relationships between large sediments and diversity. Invertebrate diversity, in turn, was positively related to secondary production, with the most diverse assemblages found in secondary production 'hotspots'. Finally, I found a general relationship between habitat diversity and trophic interaction strengths supporting Pallid Sturgeon, with geophysically diverse areas containing much weaker, and thus potentially stabilizing, interactions than homogenous areas. Additionally, habitat characteristics, such as sediment size, intensified these effects. Together, the chapters of my dissertation broadly highlight the role of nature's stage in governing patterns in biodiversity, secondary production, and trophic interactions across large and dynamic riverscapes, and provide empirical insights for guiding future management and conservation of large rivers in an increasingly simplified world.Item Fatal attraction for an imperiled songbird: is cropland in the northern Great Plains an ecological trap for breeding thick-billed longspur?(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2022) Swicegood, Amber Elizabeth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Lance McNewThick-billed longspur (Rhynchophanes mccownii) populations have declined 4% annually during the past 50 years. This species nests in recently disturbed or sparsely vegetated patches within native mixed-grass prairie and is also known to occur in crop fields in northeastern Montana during the breeding season. Maladaptive habitat selection may result in crop fields operating as ecological traps, but information on thick-billed longspur use of and demography in crop fields are lacking. We hypothesized that crop fields provide cues for territory selection, but frequent human disturbance and increased exposure to weather and predators should result in reduced reproductive success relative to native grassland habitats. To address this hypothesis, we 1) used dynamic occupancy models to compare arrival times of territorial male longspurs using data collected with autonomous acoustic recorders, 2) used open population distance sampling models to compare trends in longspur abundance over the breeding season, 3) compared indices of nest density and number of young fledged, and 4) used nest survival models to compare survival rates of nests between crop and native sites. Arrival times were similar in both site types and occupancy ranged from 0.52 + or - 0.17SE on April 7 to 0.99 + or - 0.01 on April 30. Bird abundances appeared to be mediated by vegetation biomass and drought conditions. Standardized nest densities were 0.15 + or - 0.22SD and 0.23 + or - 0.32 nests/hour/plot in crop and native sites, respectively; the number of young fledged per successful nest was similar in crop and native sites and averaged 2.9 + or - 0.18SE. Nest survival was similar in crop and native sites and averaged 0.24 + or - 0.03 SE (n=222 nests). The data did not support our ecological trap hypothesis: longspurs did not exhibit a clear preference for crop sites and reproductive output was not significantly reduced. Our results suggest that crop fields may expand nesting opportunities for thick-billed longspur in a region where native habitat may be limited.Item High net worth ownership regimes in critical conservation areas: implications for resource governance(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Epstein, Kathleen Elizabeth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Julia Hobson Haggerty; Julia H. Haggerty and Hannah Gosnell were co-authors of the article, 'Super-rich landowners in social-ecological systems: opportunities in affective political ecology and life course perspectives' in the journal 'Geoforum' which is contained within this dissertation.; Julia Hobson Haggerty and Hannah Gosnell were co-authors of the article, 'With, not for, money: ranch management trajectories of the super-rich in greater Yellowstone' submitted to the journal 'Annals of the American Association of Geographers' which is contained within this dissertation.; Dissertation contains a article of which Kathleen Elizabeth Epstein is not the main author.Despite the expanding financial power of the global super-rich and their expansive control over natural resources as proprietors of an increasing number of large agricultural properties, geographers have only just begun to assess the influences of wealthy landowners on systems of environmental management. In this dissertation, I examine a set of ownership dynamics related to the acquisition of ranchland properties by high net worth (HNW) individuals in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, a charismatic conservation area in the Northern Rockies, USA. The dissertation deploys a mixed methods approach informed by social-ecological systems theory and insights from the literature on political ecology of the American West to assess HNW ownership regimes at the landscape and property scales from the perspective of an iconic regional resource institution: state-led elk management. The work follows a central conceptual logic related to the evolution of HNW land management, namely that ranch owners and properties interact with local ecologies, social actors, and resource institutions in ways that influence land use strategies and practices over time and space. At the landscape scale, patterns of land-use intensification (e.g., increased use of irrigation) have converged with growing diversification (e.g., increased residential development), to make elk management more complex, as elk encounter a range of push and pull factors across a shifting and diverse landscape of land-use values and practices. A defining characteristic of the trajectory for ranches of the super-rich is that HNW landowners ranch with, as opposed to for, money, though multiple social-ecological factors (markets, property lines, legal institutions, and unpredictable rangeland socio-ecologies) also shape HNW landowners' abilities to realize management goals and visions. Where HNW ownership regimes intersect with shifts in the political and moral economy, conflicts related to public access to wildlife on private lands have emerged. In this context, the work of wildlife managers requires adaptive strategies as wildlife management has become more about managing people - and the psychosocial outcomes of conflict - than managing wildlife. Ultimately, this research argues that the challenges HNW ownership regimes pose for resource governance require strategic engagement with the broader structures of wealth concentration and resource control that have enabled them.Item Postglacial vegetation and fire history of the southern Mission Valley, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2017) Alt, Mio Hazel; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Cathy WhitlockEcosystems shaped by mixed - severity fire regimes cover a large area of the Northern Rocky Mountains, yet relatively little is known about the historical variability and drivers of these ecosystems. The low - and mid - elevations of the Mission Range, Montana, are dominated by mixed conifer forests, and the area has been occupied by humans for at least 10,000 years, making it an ideal location for investigating how climate and humans may have affected vegetation and fire regimes during the late - glacial period through the Holocene. Pollen and charcoal records from lake sediment cores from a small closed - basin lake (Twin Lake) were used to reconstruct the vegetation and fire history of the southern Mission Valley, Montana, and compared to other sites in the region. During the late - glacial period, data show an abundance of Pinus (P. albicaulis or monticola) Artemisia, and Poaceae pollen prior to 13,000 cal yr BP, suggesting the site was dominated by an open landscape with shrubs and grass, cold relatively dry conditions, and minimal fire activity. Increased percentages of Pinus (P. Ponderosa or contorta), Picea, and Abies pollen at 13,000 cal yr BP mark the onset of a closed conifer forest, relatively cool and wet conditions and an increase in fire activity accompanying an increase in biomass. Large increases in Pseudotsuga/Larix and Artemisia pollen between 10,000 - 6000 cal yr BP suggest warmer and drier climatic conditions developed during this interval, consistent with other records from the northwestern U.S. Charcoal influx show this interval of warm and dry conditions led to low severity fires followed by high severity fires as forests of P. contorta or P. ponderosa became more dense between 7000 and 5000 cal yr BP. The mixed - conifer forests that dominate the site today began to develop ca. 6000 cal yr BP when fire frequency and severity became highly variable. Surprisingly, fire activity from ca. 5000 cal yr BP to present remained relatively high despite a cooling and wetting trend in the region. This departure of fire activity from climatic controls suggests other local factors influenced fire activity, and may suggest a greater role of human influence during the late Holocene.Item Impacts of recreational shooting on prairie dog colonies(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1996) Vosburgh, Timothy CharlesThe BLM has encouraged recreational shooting as a means of controlling prairie dog populations and as a recreational use of public lands. I investigated the impacts of recreational shooting on prairie dog population dynamics, activity patterns, and vegetation conditions in prairie dog towns. I monitored shooting pressure on BLM hunted colonies, measured the strength of association between shooting effort and changes in population size/structure and activity patterns, and compared vegetation between hunted and unhunted colonies. Marked subsamples were used to estimate prairie dog densities during the spring and fall on 10 hunted colonies in 1994 and 9 hunted and 8 non-hunted (control) colonies in 1995. Mean number of prairie dogs killed on colonies open to hunting was 27% in 1994 and 53 in 1995. In 1995, prairie dog density declined 33% on hunted colonies and 15% on non-hunted colonies. The percentage of marked prairie dogs recaptured during the fall was higher on non-hunted colonies (53%) than on hunted colonies (41%). I also found a positive correlation between shooting pressure and change in density on hunted colonies. Although age structure did not change from spring to fall, recreational shooting may have resulted in higher female mortality during 1995. Prairie dogs spent more time in alert postures and less time foraging on hunted than on unhunted towns. Prairie dogs could also be approached more closely on non-hunted colonies than on hunted colonies. Of the 4 approaches I used to monitor prairie dogs: (mark-recapture, burrow counts, vegetation analysis, and counting prairie dogs), above ground counts were the best approach for assessing prairie dog populations.Item Bison and elk responses to winter recreation in Yellowstone National Park(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2001) Hardy, Amanda RuthItem Ferruginous hawk and prairie falcon reproductive and behavioral responses to human activity near the Kevin Rim, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1993) Van Horn, Russell CarlItem Response and resilience of rivers to historical resource use in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem : a repeat photography analysis(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2014) Clark, Heidi Martin; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Robert A. PaynRepeat photographs provide a glimpse of the past and thus tell a story of how man and nature have shaped the landscape. With the use of repeat photography based on on-the-ground oblique images, this study investigated how historical natural resource uses (e.g., logging, mining, ranching, and dam building) have affected headwater rivers of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). These rivers included the Gallatin, Yellowstone, Wind, Gros Ventre, Snake, Madison, and Green Rivers along with several of their tributaries. Oblique photo pairs or series of photos were compared using three types of analyses: quantitative pixel comparisons, rank order statistics, and individual descriptions, in order to identify changes in riparian vegetation cover, sinuosity, bankfull, and flood plain area. Additionally, additional data from a stream reach of the upper Yellowstone River in Paradise Valley, Montana, allowed for aerial comparisons to quantify vegetation cover and sinuosity within photo frame wedges of corresponding oblique photos. The results of the comparisons revealed: (1) increased riparian vegetation where anthropogenic perturbations had ceased, indicating resilience and recovery; (2) decreased riparian vegetation and sinuosity where impacts intensified; and (3) little change in riparian vegetation where human natural resource use continued at a similar intensity. Application of this methodology to more photo points and other regions will provide a better understanding of the extent of previous threats and how river systems have responded or continue to counter ongoing anthropogenic impacts.Item Using noninvasive genetic sampling methods to estimate demographic and genetic parameters for large carnivore populations in the Rocky Mountains(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2012) Sawaya, Michael Allen; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Steven Kalinowski; Toni K. Ruth, Scott Creel, Jay J. Rotella, Jeffrey B. Stetz, Howard B. Quigley, and Steven T. Kalinowski were co-authors of the article, 'Evaluation of noninvasive genetic sampling methods for cougars in Yellowstone National Park' in the journal 'Journal of wildlife management' which is contained within this thesis.; Jeffrey B. Stetz, Anthony P. Clevenger, Michael L. Gibeau and Steven T. Kalinowski were co-authors of the article, 'Estimating grizzly and black bear population abundance and trend in Banff National Park using noninvasive genetic sampling methods' in the journal 'PLoS ONE' which is contained within this thesis.; Anthony P. Clevenger, and Steven T. Kalinowski were co-authors of the article, 'Wildlife crossing structures connect ursid populations in Banff National Park' in the journal 'Conservation biology' which is contained within this thesis.; Steven T. Kalinowski, and Anthony P. Clevenger were co-authors of the article, 'Gene flow at wildlife crossing structures in Banff National Park' in the journal 'Molecular ecology' which is contained within this thesis.Healthy carnivore populations are important to maintaining ecosystem balance, but many species are declining globally at disturbing rates due to anthropogenic causes. To effectively manage and conserve carnivores, wildlife managers must be able to obtain reliable estimates of population parameters. Noninvasive genetic sampling (NGS) methods such as hair or scat collection offer new and exciting alternatives to traditional carnivore research methods involving capture, drugging, and handling of animals; however, the potential of NGS methods to answer applied ecological questions has not been fully realized. The main objective of my doctoral research was to develop and apply NGS methods to estimate demographic and genetic parameters for large carnivore populations in the Rocky Mountains. First, I evaluated two NGS methods, hair snares and snow tracking, for cougars (Puma concolor) in Yellowstone National Park. I developed a method to collect hair while following cougar tracks in snow to bed sites and natural hair snags (e.g. thorn bushes, branch tips) from which I demonstrated that samples collected using NGS can provide reliable information on cougar population abundance. Next, I compared the ability of two NGS methods, hair traps and bear rub surveys, to estimate population abundance and trend of grizzly (Ursus arctos) and black bears (U. americanus) in Banff National Park. I found that bear rubs performed better than hair traps for estimating grizzly bear abundance and population growth rates, whereas hair traps worked better than bear rubs for black bears. I then used NGS to examine demographic and genetic connectivity at wildlife crossing structures along the Trans-Canada Highway that bisects Banff National Park. I compared genetic data collected from the bear populations surrounding the highway to data collected at the crossing structures using a novel hair sampling system. This comparison allowed me to show that wildlife crossing structures provided demographic connectivity for bear populations and maintained sufficient gene flow across the highway to prevent genetic isolation. In short, I have demonstrated the power of using an array of NGS methods, alone or in combination, to estimate abundance, gene flow, genetic structure, migration, and population growth rates for large carnivores in the Rocky Mountains.