1. Mammal Surveys in Great Basin National Park: Assessment of Historical Faunal Change Eric Rickart & Shannen Robson Utah Museum of Natural History University of Utah

2. METHODS Historical data sources Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ) 1929-1939 field surveys Other records – 1940-1990 Publications MaNIS museum network UMNH-FMNH survey – 2000 NPS I&M (UMNH) – 2002-2003 Recent data sources GRBA sight reports – 1994-2004

3. GENERAL SURVEY RESULTS Historical records (pre-1990) Park: 390 records 31 species Park region: 893 records 48 species Recent surveys (2000-2003) 4379 trap nights 642 records 26 species GRBA sight reports 366 reports 22 species (non-volant mammals) Species Totals Park Greater region Non-volants 42 54 Total (incl. bats) 49 67

4. Shrews (small mammal exemplars) Merriam’s shrew (Sorex merriami) Sagebrush Inyo shrew (Sorex tenellus) High elevations (rocky substrate) Vagrant shrew (Sorex vagrans) Abundant generalist Water shrew (Sorex palustris) Uncommon riparian specialist Uncommon habitat specialists

5. 1930 2003 Historical change Piñon-Juniper expansionInvasive cheatgrass

7. Resurvey protocol Relocate historical collecting sites that were densely sampled Determine historical sampling effort Assess habitat changes (notes and photographs) Do comparable modern sampling Interpret local faunal changes Local site assessments: Broader scale (landscape) assessments: Shifts in elevation ranges of species Specimen counts as a proxy for effort

8. Survey localities Historical & Recent Survey comparison = historical record= recent record

9. Resurvey comparisons-- Four elevation “bins” Low: 5300-6700 ft 67 10 65 12 (ca. 1600-2050 m) Mid: 7000-8000 ft 125 14 56 7 (ca. 2150-2450 m) High: 8100-10500 ft 79 7 80 8 (ca. 2450-3200 m) Alpine: 10700-11200 ft 30 7 28 5 (ca. 3250-3400 m) Historical Modern Elevation (1929-1939) (2000-2003) records species records species

10. Low elevation

12. Mid elevation

14. High elevation

16. Alpine

18. Least chipmunk (Tamias minimus) Great Basin pocket mouse (Perognathus parvus) Species responding to loss/shift of sagebrush habitat

19. Uinta chipmunk (Tamias umbrinus) Piñon mouse (Peromyscus truei) Species increasing with spread of piñon-juniper

20. Species responding to cheatgrass invasion Ord’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii) Declining Expanding Harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) Long-tailed vole (Microtus longicaudus)

21. Desert woodrat (Neotoma lepida) Bushy-tailed woodrat (Neotoma cinerea) Declining woodrats

22. Yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) Uncommon species

23. Cougar (Puma concolor) Beaver (Castor canadensis) Keystone species

24. Acknowledgements Field assistants Danny Balete Alex Baugh Larry Heaney Rob McIntyre Joe Walsh GRBA - NPS Gretchen Baker Bryan Hamilton Kris Heister Joe Sirotnak Tod Williams Funding Utah Museum of Natural History Field Museum NPS Mojave network I&M program