Continental Lynx Movement Study

To understand the predator...

Snowshoe hare and lynx populations used to cycle nearly synchronously throughout much of North America. Over the past 20 years this continent-wide cyclic coupling between lynx and hares appears to be unraveling.

Lynx need Hares 35-96% of prey Necessary for recruitment Same range distribution Would likely go extinct without hares Both species need a deep powdery snow advantage. Without deep snow coyotes, bobcats and cougars often outcompete and displace lynx.

We are learning some really interesting things about lynx. They’re often nomads…

Movements of 218 lynx that were released at one location in southwestern Colorado. Red indicates high use areas and yellow indicates low use areas.

Lynx can and do move extremely long distances. So where are Tetlin’s lynx from? Are they residents, dispersers or both and does this change temporally and spatially? Does Tetlin have good lynx habitat or is it mostly a mortality sink? If Tetlin is a sink most of the time then our cats are likely highly reliant on lynx migrating in from elsewhere. Habitat fragmentation and reduced landscape connectivity hundreds of miles away from Tetlin and elsewhere in Alaska may influence our lynx populations. Increasing human activity may be affecting the lynx-hare cycles. Currently, very little is known about this important furbearer in Interior Alaska.

Tetlin and many of our partners are currently monitoring long-term snowshoe hare abundance by conducting fecal pellet counts at multiple locations in Alaska and Canada. Fecal pellet counts are converted to an estimate of abundance on an annual basis. By studying both species concurrently we hope to better ascertain if snowshoe hares can be appropriately used as a surrogate species for Canada lynx in Region 7. These fecal pellet count surveys will also play an important role in helping us monitor snowshoe hare populations across the landscapes in conjunction with our study of the movements of lynx and coyotes.

Coyotes are relatively new to Alaska and continue to expand their range in the State. Coyotes appear to be benefiting from a warming climate and human caused habitat fragmentation while lynx likely are not. What influence coyotes may have on lynx and snowshoe hare populations in the boreal forest of Alaska is not well understood. By placing satellite collars on both lynx and coyotes simultaneously we will learn much about how these two predators and how they do or don’t interact with one another and their prey both spatially and temporally. This collaborative research effort will provide valuable insight on how we can best manage for all three species and allow us to make educated predictions about the future.

Due to the scale of this study it is being replicated at multiple locations in Alaska and Canada. Study Sites: Tetlin NWR Koyukuk-Nowitna-Innoko NWR Yukon-Flats NWR Kanuti NWR Gates of the Arctic National Park Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest Kluane Lake Research Station, Yukon Partners: University of Alaska Fairbanks Utah State University University of Alberta McGill University Washington State University Alaska Department of Fish and Game United States Geological Survey Bureau of Land Management Department of Defense Boone Smith Wildlife Captures National Geographic Society USFWS I&M Program Northwest Boreal LCC

Winter Field Season Update Tetlin staff and volunteers ran two mile trap lines (Jan-March) Established approximately 60 miles of snowmachine trails Captured and collared 6 lynx (3 males and 3 females) Visited 1 den site with 4 kittens Boone Smith, TV host of NatGeo’s Big Cat Week visited study area Project Goals…

Questions?