8:00 AM

Save Me from the Lion’s Mouth: Partnerships to Promote Human-Wildlife Coexistence in Southern Africa. Scott Hygnstrom

Wildlife resources in Southern Africa are remarkably beautiful, ecologically indispensable, and culturally critical to people of the region. Unfortunately, those who reside in rural areas (veldt) face remarkable risks every day when living and dealing with lions, leopards, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, snakes, and other creatures that go “bump” in the night. The loss of human life and limb is higher than most would ever think. In addition, loss of livestock and crops to wildlife is widespread and can be locally severe. The significance and severity of human-wildlife conflicts in Southern Africa are greater, perhaps by an order of magnitude, than those in North America. During the past 15 years, we have had the good fortune to work in collaborative partnerships on several projects in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Research has addressed distance sampling and prey bases for large carnivores, influence of water on distribution of large carnivores, demographics of elephant populations, identification of individual giraffes, and other topics. Teaching has included lectures on wildlife damage management, wildlife diseases, and human dimensions in an international course on Biodiversity in Namibia; and an internship program including 15 student assistants and interns assisting with field research in Botswana. Extension work has included a symposium and panel discussion at an International Wildlife Management Congress meeting in South Africa, keynote addresses in Botswana and California, 20 presentations in North America, and work on a reference book on resolving human-wildlife conflicts in Southern Africa. All have been enriching and life-changing experiences.

8:20 AM

Success is Best When Shared - Collaborative Partnerships at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Kassandra Arts

Management of 69,372 acres can be a lot for a biological staff of three! Apostle Islands National Lakeshore staff utilize and depend on numerous partnerships to effectively and responsibly manage the shorelines and island communities found in Lake Superior. Collaboration efforts have included federal agencies, tribal partners, academic institutions, and state agencies. From the management and monitoring of one of the largest breeding populations of Piping Plover (Charadrious melodus) in Wisconsin, to the protection of rare vegetative communities from deer browse, partnerships are at the core of major conservation success stories in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

8:40 AM

Working for wildlife: A conservation partnership for Green Bay wetland habitat restoration. Amy Carrozzino-Lyon

The Green Bay west shore is a historically impaired and naturally dynamic ecosystem providing critical wetland habitat for fish and wildlife, as well as important socioeconomic and quality of life benefits to local communities. Since European settlement, land use changes and development in the region have impacted Lower Green Bay contributing to complex management challenges related to water quality and turbidity, nutrient loading and sedimentation, and the effects of invasive species, among others. UW-Green Bay, Ducks Unlimited, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Audubon Great Lakes, and UW-Madison Division of Extension are collaborating to enhance fish and wildlife habitat on the west shore and better understand factors influencing restoration outcomes through research, monitoring, and adaptive management. The team has several recent and ongoing projects including wild rice re-establishment in coastal wetlands, marsh restoration projects on publicly accessible lands, and a pilot project utilizing in-water woody material as fish and wildlife habitat and wave breaks. Partners are also engaging with local educators and K-12 students to create place-based learning opportunities around wetlands and freshwater that strengthen connections between people and wetlands. Enhancement of Green Bay coastal wetland habitats paired with community outreach provides a unique local case study in working together in a degraded system with great potential for success.

9:00 AM

Support of Climate Change Integration into State Wildlife Action Plans. Hugh Ratcliffe

Increasingly, state natural resource agencies aim to incorporate climate change into wildlife and habitat conservation planning. However, for the upcoming 2025 revisions of State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs), many states lack the capacity and expertise necessary to include climate change as an impactful factor. In response, the Midwest Climate Adaptation Science center aims to support states’ 2025 planning efforts by providing an up-to-date overview of relevant climate stressors, trends, and projected changes across multiple scenarios for each ecoregion in the Midwest and associated major natural habitat types. Because prior SWAPs utilized a variety of methods, including species CCVI scores and expert elicitation, we will provide a literature review/synthesis of direct and indirect climate change impacts on the identified habitats and their key/dominant species. We specified 13 ecoregions using the EPA Level II and Level III regions, which serve as the geographic scale of the analysis for climate projections. To identify major habitat types within each ecoregion and key/dominant species, we used the US NVC classification hierarchy. We asked each state in the Midwest region to rank priority habitats for this analysis and reconciled these rankings to cover a broad swath of common and rare habitat types. We are currently performing the literature review, which will result in one published peer-reviewed report. Not only can sections of this report be directly includes in state SWAPs, but it will provide critical background for future quantitative or qualitative analyses of species and habitats, such as habitat vulnerability assessments and updated species vulnerability assessments.

9:20 AM

Seasonal variation in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) habitat selection, encounter locations, and chronic wasting disease transmission potential. Marie Gilbertson

Chronic wasting disease can be transmitted between cervids both directly and indirectly through the environment. As such, favored cervid habitats are generally expected to promote direct deer interactions or indirect spatial overlap, and subsequent transmission. However, little is known about how individual animal space use translates to actual sites of overlap between individuals. This gap leaves uncertainty in how habitat shapes the risk of direct or environmental CWD transmission, and how these risks vary by season, sex, and age. In this study, we quantified seasonal habitat selection for 563 white-tailed deer (WTD) in southwest Wisconsin. We estimated seasonal encounter distributions—regions where a pair of deer were most likely to encounter each other—for all between-group pairs of WTD in our study, and quantified seasonal variation in the habitat composition of these encounter distributions. We found that deer selection for agricultural or grass/pasture land use types was generally low, relative to forest, but was highest in the post-fawning (summer) and non-breeding (winter) seasons. We observed similar patterns for the composition of encounter distributions, suggesting that these habitat types may be attractive resources that facilitate between-group contact or overlap and subsequent transmission. Direct attraction to between-group individuals was low during the post-fawning season, but high during the breeding (fall) and non-breeding seasons. Together, these results suggest that habitat selection favors environmental transmission in the post-fawning season, social selection favors direct transmission in the breeding season, but combined social and habitat selection facilitate both direct and environmental transmission during the non-breeding season.

10:00 AM

The Role of Learn to Hunt Programs in Wisconsin DNR’s R3 Efforts. Nick Schuelke

Approximately 60 different hunting and outdoors related organizations conduct Wisconsin’s Learn to Hunt programs that provide both classroom instruction and field experiences to recruit novices into hunting. These programs are a key component of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) broader hunting related recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) efforts aimed at promoting participation in hunting. The objective of this study was to identify reasons why organizations voluntarily host Learn to Hunt programs, as well as to understand whether these programs help event organizers and hosting organizations remain engaged in the hunting community. Additionally, this study sought to better understand mentorship in these programs and program participant connections to hosting organizations prior to and following Learn to Hunt events. In September 2023, I interviewed organizers and lead instructors of Learn to Hunt programs in Wisconsin. Hosting organizations’ primary motive for sponsoring Learn to Hunt programs is to help preserve Wisconsin’s hunting tradition by generating interest in hunting among program participants. Significant variation exists among participants’ pre- and post-event connections to hosting organizations, however, many instructors reported efficacy of their programs in recruiting new hunters. Mentoring for Learn to Hunt programs can serve to keep members engaged with their organization, as well as in hunting more generally. Despite overall satisfaction with Learn to Hunt programs, instructors both identified challenges to conducting these programs, as well as suggested improvements, which can help inform DNR efforts in supporting these programs.

10:20 AM

Permit holder and sponsor perspectives on a statewide deer hunt for hunters with disabilities. Ben Beardmore

The annual Deer Hunt for Hunters with Disabilities (DHHD) has been providing opportunities and memories for over three decades. Approximately 400 to 450 hunters participate in the event on permitted properties with a sponsoring Landowner each October, a fraction of the 6,000 Wisconsinites who are eligible to participate. The objective of this study was to assess support for creating a statewide hunt among disability permit holders and sponsors of the DHHD, and to assess the potential effects of a statewide hunt on supply and demand for sponsored hunts. I conducted two surveys in winter 2023, an online census of 4,500 disability permit holders and a mixed mode census of 110 landowners who sponsored a hunt in October 2022. Most respondents supported creating statewide hunt for hunters with disability permits to run concurrently with the existing statewide youth hunt. Most (64%) permit holders indicated they would participate in the DHHD if they were not restricted to hunting on a sponsor’s property. That said, demand for special hunts hosted by landowners (51%) would remain higher than current supply allows (7.5%). These results indicate a clear demand for more hunting opportunities that are accessible for hunters with disabilities, which requires not only the availability of land on which to hunt, but also the infrastructure and personal assistance necessary to overcome limitations imposed upon each hunter by their disability.

10:40 AM

Implementation and impacts of machine learning object detection models for Snapshot Wisconsin. Ryan Bemowski

Camera traps have proven to be extremely useful for studies, especially when targeting medium to large sized mammals. These remote sensors can create a great amount of passive data at various granularities. A primary downside of such a method is that each photo or event must be given labels or otherwise be classified. This can be an extremely time intensive process requiring human intervention. Machine learning techniques can help process photos with very limited human intervention. Supporting a state-wide network of over 2,000 trail cameras, Snapshot Wisconsin has amassed over 85 million photos. More than 20 million of those photos previously did not have required labels or classifications, meaning that they had essentially gone unprocessed. Using machine learning and other automated processing techniques, Snapshot Wisconsin now has an initial classification for all relevant photos and events among other benefits.

11:00 AM

Brushes with Greatness. Scott Hygnstrom

With my recent retirement, I have had time to reflect a bit upon life. Something that came to light was the number of remarkable wildlife professionals I have come to know. Nothing here reflects on me, but rather on being in the right place at the right time, over and over again. Nearly 45 years of professional meetings, work at four universities, and time spent in the wildlife field provided me with opportunities to meet, break bread, and work with many individuals who are contemporary conservation heroes. While we didn’t overlap in time, I forged a relationship with Aldo Leopold through his graduate students Fran and Fred Hamerstrom and Robert McCabe, biographer Curt Meine, and history buff Stan Temple. Forgive me if I seem to be namedropping, but this is the gist of my presentation. I am an advocate of hunting and somehow my path crossed those of all three architects of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation: Val Geist, Shane Mahoney, and John Organ. I have known a few remarkable administrators, including Daniel Trainer, George Archibald, and Jon Greendeer. While research has been a lesser component of my professional appointments, I have become friends with two remarkable GS-15s in Dave Mech and Kurt VerCauteren and two Boone and Crockett Chairs in Josh Millspaugh and Jerry Belant. I am a student of teaching and having a mentor in Jim Hardin has made all the difference in the world. Eric Anderson and Larkin Powell also helped fuel my burning desire to teach. The bulk of my professional appointments have been in extension and I have had the good fortune of three national leaders as mentors, including Jim Miller, Scott Craven, and Bob Timm. My presentation will be a collection of personal stories, some humorous, of those conservation heroes I have had the privilege to know.

8:00 AM 

Predicting Deer Hunter Harvest Behavior During Wisconsin’s 9-day Firearm Season. Meghan Henry

Human dimensions research demonstrates that deer hunters have varying motivations and sources of satisfaction associated with hunting. Additionally, recent societal and technological shifts in deer hunting culture towards more selective harvesting have emerged. Understanding drivers of harvest selectivity among deer hunters is necessary to understand harvest success. Our study aimed to evaluate factors at the intersection of harvest opportunity and hunter choice in Wisconsin’s November 9-day firearm season for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginiana). We randomly sampled adult, resident deer hunters who held any 2021 license to deer hunt during the 9-day firearm season and we contacted sampled hunters with an online, pre-season survey to recruit 3,000 hunters into the study and to quantify hunters’ expectations, motivations, and perceptions during fall 2022. We mailed recruited hunters a diary survey to report their participation, deer sightings, harvest opportunities, and successful harvests over each day of the 9-day season. We modeled deer hunter behavior at the decision-point to take a shot at a deer when the hunter had a harvest opportunity on a given day of the season. We found hunter characteristics and prior experiences influenced hunters’ decisions when choosing whether to take an available harvest opportunity. Our results identified drivers of a growing practice of selective deer hunting, which has implications for the efficacy of recreational hunting to attain levels of harvest necessary to manage white-tailed deer populations relative to social or ecological goals.

8:20 AM

Using the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) to explore Borrelia burgdorferi infection patterns in ticks and rodents from the Great Lakes Region. Ashley Spink

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi and transferred to humans and animals through the bite of an infected black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis). Ixodes ticks contract the bacterium after consuming a blood meal from a reservoir host, frequently the white-footed deer mouse (Peromyscus leucopus), or other small rodent. Because of the complex transmission cycle of the Lyme- causing pathogen, many factors can impact the presence and prevalence of Lyme in an area, including the suitability of habitat for Peromyscus spp., Ixodes spp., and the larger mammals that act as the tick’s overwintering hosts. Moreover, research shows that the changing climate is expanding the range of both the Ixodes tick and P. leucopus. Understanding and responding to the expanding distribution of diseases such as
Lyme, as well as their vector species, requires a temporally, spatially, and ecologically broad data collection effort. The National Ecological Observatory Network’s (NEON) long term, open-access dataset provides data on tick abundances, small mammal abundances, plant diversity, and pathogen prevalence collected within spatially constrained field sites, making it an ideal source for analyzing these connections within the Great Lakes region and throughout the country.

8:40 AM

Observations of Complex Distribution of Parental Care in American Kestrels (Falco sparverius). Allison Smith

Many raptors have asymmetrical parental care distribution. Males do the majority of the hunting while the females feed and brood the nestlings. After fledging, most often both parents hunt for the young until they are able to take care of themselves. Through GPS monitoring with the intent to track migration patterns, we discovered three instances of female American Kestrels beginning their migration while the fledglings were still reliant on the adult male. The three females fitted with transmitters began their migrations in late July/early August and through visual observation, observed the adult males of the breeding pairs caring for semi-dependent fledglings after the females had left. In addition to the three confirmed instances, we observed a male fitted with a GPS transmitter caring for dependent fledglings in a family group without an adult female present. As of now, we are not sure why the adult females leave the breeding territory earlier than the adult males. A few hypotheses are to secure higher quality wintering grounds, the result of the delayed molt experienced by males, or potentially a combination of the two, where the higher demand on the male reduces his energy reserves resulting in a later molt and migration.

9:00 AM

QUANTIFYING CONNECTIVITY: A RECOVERY NETWORK OF AMERICAN MARTEN (MARTES AMERICANA) IN THE UPPER GREAT LAKES REGION. Lydia Druin

Reintroductions are increasingly occurring in landscapes that differ from historical conditions. These novel landscapes often feature unknown connectivity, creating uncertainty surrounding long-term population viability. As a frequently reintroduced taxa, carnivores are especially sensitive to landscape fragmentation. We studied a regional recovery network of American martens (Martes americana), where martens have been reintroduced >15 times, resulting in ≥8 extant populations, many with uncertain viabilities. While functional connectivity in this network is unknown, evidence suggests that natural dispersal occurs. To quantify connectivity and identify corridors, we constructed a resistance landscape. We hypothesized that the recovery network is connected via dispersers, especially from source populations in Michigan and Minnesota, and predicted that the recovery network is structured by isolation-by-resistance (IBR). We identified two spatial genetic structures in the recovery network: one, a continuous cline originating in Michigan populations with admixture westward to Wisconsin populations; and two, a distinct group defining populations in Minnesota and a recent translocation site in Wisconsin from the recovery network. We found landscape resistance limits connectivity, and martens are structured by IBR when high-quality habitat is limited. Areas of resource extraction and two ecological regions in Wisconsin represented high resistance areas and reduced connectivity amongst reintroduced populations in Wisconsin. Corridors in the recovery network were broadly protected, however, in Minnesota, corridors were unprotected and represent opportunities for enhanced management to facilitate dispersal. Our work highlights the power of long-term monitoring and landscape-scale analyses to identify limitations in recovery of reintroduced populations in altered landscapes.

9:20 AM

Drivers of genetic population structure in an archipelagic red-backed vole (M. gapperi) population in Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands. Bijit Khadka

Rapid environmental change is reshaping ecosystems and driving species loss globally. The identification of refugia, areas buffered from environmental change that maintain viable populations of sensitive species, is of increasing interest to managers. Small-mammal communities are changing regionally with declines in boreal species, but red-backed voles (M. gapperi) appear to be abundant across the Apostle Islands. The high densities of voles on the islands may be due to the combination of the prevalence of high-quality habitat, isolation from human activity, and reduced competition with other small mammals. The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore may provide important refugia for boreal forest-adapted species including voles. However, the degree to which vole populations are connected in this spatially structured landscape and their genetic status remains unknown. We collected hair and tissue samples from voles live trapped 2017-2022. We genotyped 228 individuals from the Apostle Islands. Genetic diversity varied across islands although all islands exhibited some inbreeding. Preliminary results suggest that vole populations are genetically structured, likely driven by dispersal barriers.
Nevertheless, estimates of gene flow revealed that these islands were well connected. Notably, we observed bidirectional geneflow between islands and geneflow from Madeline and Oak islands to the mainland. Oak island in particular appeared central to geneflow in this network. Understanding the mechanisms driving structure will shed light on factors affecting the persistence of mammal populations on archipelagos and help to identify the role of these islands as potential refugia for boreal-adapted species in the face of climate and land-use change.

10:00 AM

Chronic wasting disease transmission dynamics from environmental reservoirs. Wendy Turner

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an emerging infectious disease affecting the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population in Wisconsin. Our research team at the Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit is conducting research into CWD transmission dynamics in southwest Wisconsin, together with state and federal collaborators. CWD is caused by infectious prions that can be transmitted directly between deer or indirectly through environmental reservoirs. This talk gives an overview of ongoing research into CWD transmission risk at different hypothesized environmental prion reservoirs, including CWD positive deer carcass sites, deer scrapes, and food plots. This work takes a two-pronged approach, investigating prion deposition and presence in different locations, and risk of prion exposure based on deer behaviors at these potential reservoir sites. We are additionally investigating how scavengers may influence prion distribution around deer carcass sites and evaluating the risk of scavengers increasing the geographic footprint of the emerging disease. Project outcomes aim to inform managers’ decision-making and response efforts regarding environmental transmission of CWD prions.

10:20 AM

Buck to the Future: Wisconsin Deer Hunter Demographics 2005-2040. Adam Mohr

The number of deer hunters in the United States has been declining since the 1990s, threatening the viability of recreational hunting as a method to manage deer populations and fund conservation and management activities. In 2013, a study of Wisconsin male gun deer hunters used demographic models to examine the relative effects of time-
period, age, and birth-cohort on deer hunting participation rates and calculate projections of the number of deer hunters out to 2030. For this study, we compared these previous projections with subsequent license sales and used a similar modelling approach to create updated projections of future deer hunters out to 2040 under a variety of hypothetical
scenarios. Our analysis showed that participation rates for male hunters declined steadily through time across all ages, except 60+ year olds which has remained relatively stable. In each projection scenario we examined, the number of male deer hunters declined continually; between 100,000 and 190,000 fewer hunters by 2040, depending on the projection scenario. While we found the decline rate will accelerate in coming years as baby boomers age out of the hunting population, most of the projected decline of male deer hunters was caused by time-period and birth-cohort effects, meaning hunting participation was declining across most ages and each subsequent cohort had lower hunting
participation than the preceding ones. For female deer hunters, projections were inconsistent about whether there would be more or fewer female hunters in 2040 compared to current levels. The future growth or decline of the female hunter population will largely depend on the youth participation rate – if youth participation continues to decline below current levels, female hunter numbers will decline. Our results demonstrate that deer population management through recreational harvest will become less and less viable in the face markedly fewer hunters.

10:40 AM

Overwinter survival of ruffed grouse color morphs in seasonally snow-covered forests. Penelope Murphy

Species employ a diversity of strategies to cope with dynamic environmental conditions. Color polymorphism is an adaptive strategy in which a species exhibits multiple color phenotypes in a population, each with different selective advantages, that serve to buffer the population against variable and unpredictable conditions. We investigated the adaptiveness of color polymorphism for coping with variable snow conditions in ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus), a widespread and winter-adapted bird species of North American forests. Over five winters (2015–2022), we monitored weather conditions, habitat use, and weekly survival for 94 grouse in central Wisconsin to test whether individuals had lower survival when phenotypically mismatched with snow cover (e.g. a gray bird on a snowless landscape or a red bird in snow). Grouse phenotypically mismatched with snow cover had lower survival, but only when winter survival rates were lowest. During winters of lower overall survival, red grouse exhibited higher survival during snow-free periods, whereas gray grouse had higher survival when snow was present. We also found that open habitat negatively impacted survival, regardless of color. Our work is the first to investigate drivers of morph-specific survival differences in ruffed grouse, a crucial step in understanding how environmental variability affects geographic variation in and maintenance of multiple color phenotypes. Furthermore, our finding that interactions between color morph and snow cover are important for conferring winter survival gives insight into how color polymorphism may serve as a buffer against rapidly changing and dynamic winter conditions and a pathway for the persistence of this species.

11:00 AM

Ruffed Grouse Hunting in Wisconsin: Small Birds and Big Money. Lauren Bradshaw

Wisconsin is a recognized travel destination for ruffed grouse hunters, and the US Fish and Wildlife service estimates that upland game bird hunting, which includes ruffed grouse, generates upwards of $200 million in state and local tax revenues annually. This study sought to understand the economic impact of ruffed grouse hunting in Wisconsin. In early 2023, the Department of Natural Resources surveyed 2,450 resident and non-resident ruffed grouse hunters. Response to this survey yielded 1,677 returned questionnaires (71 percent response rate). Subsequent analyses allowed us to discern the typical season-long expenditures that ruffed grouse hunters make on consumables (food, drink, restaurants), travel (gas, rental cars, air fair), accommodations (hotel, airbnb, campsite), and hunting equipment and services. Roughly half of ruffed grouse hunters reported owning one or more dogs for upland game bird hunting and the purchase, training, and health of such a hunting dog may also provide economic inputs to businesses in Wisconsin. As habitat availability and stressors brought on by climate warming impact ruffed grouse populations in the region, declining ruffed grouse hunting opportunities will likely have a disproportionate economic impact on tourism driven areas of the state.

11:20 AM

Mast Year Effects on Trap Success of Southern Flying Squirrels in Schmeeckle Reserve 2000-2023. Kody Woodcock

Southern flying squirrels (SFS, Glaucomys volans) are arboreal and nocturnal rodents that inhabit hardwood forests of Wisconsin. Southern flying squirrels are omnivorous, with a diet consisting mainly of nuts from mast-producing trees like oaks and hickories. The amount of mast produced by oaks varies with year and the number of SFS captured also varies with year, so we aimed to determine the effect of mast production on trap success. Since 2020, students with the SFS project of the student chapter of The Wildlife Society have trapped SFS in Berard Oaks and the surrounding woods of Schmeeckle Reserve. We hypothesized that southern flying squirrel trap success would be influenced by tree mast production because squirrels are less likely to go into traps in years of high mast production. Our research team captures SFS using a semi-permanent trap grid affixed to 20 trees. Traps are set at approximately 5:00pm and checked between 10:30pm to 12:00 am five days a week during September and October. All traps are baited with a combination of peanut butter, oats, and bacon grease. Upon capture, we use Isoflurane to anesthetize the SFS, administer a numbered ear tag, and record the weight and sex of each individual. We will use ANOVA to determine if trap success varies by year, and by amount of mast produced each year. In the future, we are considering measuring mast each fall while trapping.

The influence of food availability on trap success of Southern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys volans) and Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in Schmeeckle Reserve, WI.

Both Southern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys volans) and Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) consume acorns throughout the year and have an overlapping range in Wisconsin. Southern Flying Squirrels and Eastern Gray Squirrels inhabit central Wisconsin students have been trapping both species through The Wildlife Society since 2020. Our goal was to compare the trap success of Eastern Gray Squirrels to that of Southern Flying Squirrels from 2020 to 2023. Due to their similar dietary dependency on production of acorns, we think that the trap success will be affected by yearly mast production because squirrels might be less likely to enter traps if food is abundant. In years of low mast, however, we suspect that trap success would be high because the squirrels are motivated to enter traps for food. We trap Southern Flying Squirrels in the fall. Semi-permanent Sherman traps baited with peanut butter, oats, and bacon grease affixed to trees are set at 6 pm and checked around 10 pm. Eastern Gray Squirrels are trapped in March and tomahawk traps baited with peanut butter and oats are set on the ground at 6:00 am and checked at 9:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 3:00 pm. All Squirrels are tagged, weighed, and sexed before being released. We found that between 2020 and 2021 and between 2022 and 2023, trap success of both squirrels drastically decreased, however between 2021 and 2022, trap success increased. We will add data from 2023 and yearly mast level to test our hypothesis.

The relationship between body condition and reproduction in female black bears in northern Wisconsin. CeCe Giesen

Reproductive parameters are of high interest to wildlife managers as they reflect health of populations. Body condition is another important metric for managers, and understanding the effect it has on reproduction can lead to better predictions on population dynamics. Black bear (Ursus americanus) research has been carried out in Wisconsin due to the species’ charisma, increased contact with humans, as well as elevated intrinsic and harvest value. We have found the average age of first reproduction in Wisconsin to be 4.05 suggesting high recruitment. Our preliminary results show a positive correlation between weight and chest girth with β=0.27 (95% cis) which supports the historical use of chest girth in ursid research. We used 34 years of data to test the hypothesis reproduction is positively related to body condition. We examined how chest girth, body length, and mass were related to litter size, reproductive rate, interbirth interval, and age of first reproduction. Using the long-term data set provided by the Wisconsin Black Bear Project, winter denning data has been collected since 1989 on 214 female black bears of varied age with repeat data for multiple individuals. Taking advantage of this robust sample size, we aim to better understand the correlation between black bear morphological measurements and reproduction in Wisconsin to better advise wildlife managers in the area.

Balancing Waterfowl and Wild Rice: Research to Inform Management and Restoration. Amy Shipley

Northern wild rice (Zizania palustris; manoomin) is a culturally, economically, and ecologically important native plant species in the Great Lakes Region. The Ojibwe word for wild rice is manoomin, and it is considered an important gift. Over the past century, wild rice has declined in distribution and abundance due to wetland loss, water quality degradation, climate change, shoreline development, and other factors. Wild rice and waterfowl have long co-existed, and rice seeds are an important food source for migrating waterfowl and other species. However, resident Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) populations have increased, and efforts to restore Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) populations have been very successful. There is increasing concern that intense grazing or herbivory by geese and swans is negatively impacting wild rice and restoration efforts. While mitigation projects are already underway, the impacts of goose and swan grazing on wild rice have not been directly measured. We are initiating a new field study across northern Wisconsin to address the following questions: 1) Do different levels of herbivory impact growth, density, and seed production of wild rice, and is waterfowl abundance related to herbivory intensity? 2) How does herbivory across the growing season impact seed production? 3) What conditions promote wild rice resilience to herbivory? 4) Do geese and swans have different impacts, and do they prefer wild rice over other aquatic plants? Results will directly inform management and wild rice restoration efforts, and will include recommendations on when mitigation to protect wild rice from waterfowl herbivory is necessary.