Roberts, S.B., J.D. Jordan, P. Bettinger, and R.J. Warren. 2010.

Journal of Wildlife Management 74:386-384.

Kelsi Potterf

USING BOBCAT HABITAT SUITABILITY

TO PRIORITIZE HABITAT PRESERVATION ON A

SUBURBANIZING BARRIER ISLAND

Growing emphasis on wildland-urban interface as urban sprawl continues

Incorporation of green space by developers

Develop a habitat assessment tool for the bobcat (Lynx rufus)—HSI Habitat requirements Ecological niche Sensitivity to fragmentation Social appeal

INTRODUCTION

Lancia et al. (1982), Boyle and Fenley (1987)—Southeastern US Food Suitability Index (FSI)—optimal habitat for cotton

rats (Sigmodon hispidus) and eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)

90% grass, forb, or shrub cover with 50-70%vegetation in grasses or forbs

Connor and Leopold (1998)—Mississippi National Forest habitat suitability for female bobcats

Woolf et al. (2002)—home-range scale across Illinois

Nielsen and Woolf (2002)—correlates suitability to abundance in southern Illinois

SIMILAR STUDIES

All were small scale and only natural habitatsOnly focus on food availabilityAssumes that FSI would satisfy cover needs

PROBLEMS WITH PREVIOUS RESEARCH

Reassess land-preservation opportunities with a simple, effective and biological tool

Kiawah Island Natural Habitat Conservancy (KINHC)

Fine scale suitability Modified bobcat Habitat Suitability Index (MHSI) Model

using telemetry data, den counts, and prey countsIntegrate FSI, Cover Suitability Index (CSI), and

Den Suitability Index (DSI) Urban areas can cause these requisites to be mutually

exclusive Other life requisites are met in undeveloped areas

PURPOSE

Kiawah Island 3500 ha coastal barrier island

1500 ha marsh 2000 ha thickets, ponds, golf course, resort development and sand

25 km south of Charleston, South CarolinaDevelopment began in 1974By 2005 there were 3000 parcels70 homes added per yearLocal regulations maintain green space—mosaic

Buffer strips Canopy cover Riparian vegetation

STUDY AREA

KIAWAH ISLAND

Supports 30 bobcats—1.4 per upland km2

Can occur at densities from 5 per 100 km2 to 48 per 100 km2

Home ranges vary based on ecologyHome range between 6 km2 and 325 km2

(IUCN 2014)

KIAWAH ISLAND

9 land cover types—input to Arc GIS 9.1 Geo-referenced plat map Municipal building permit data Infrared digital orthophotography

Modified HSI grid created from FSI, CSI and DSI grids Hawth’s Analysis Tools to evaluate mean MHSI value within

each parcel

METHODS

Hawth’s Analysis Tools to estimate FSI for each land cover type 1000 random locations Nocturnal radiotelemetry locations

Small scale rodent trapping supported FSI values

FOOD SUITABILITY INDEX

Area covered by forest or shrub for concealment Areas next to roadways not included due to noise Diurnal radiotelemetry locations

Radiocollared 16 bobcats—8 males and 8 females from April 2004 to March 2005

Telemetry locations recorded 5 times a week

Recording start time shifted by 2 hours

Records occurred more than 12 hours apart

An average of 154 locations collected for each bobcat

COVER SUITABILITY INDEX

Forest and shrub land cover typesShape and size of core habitat—no smaller than

2 ha Visual Basic 6.0—2 ha moving window grid

Den location in spring of 2004 and 2005—6 located 2 dens located in areas considered unsuitable Recommend the use of a minimum threshold on MHSI

DEN SUITABILITY INDEX

Highly Suitable—MHSI=0.83* 367.1 ha forest* 306.4 ha shrub* 116.4 ha open dune 425.8 ha developed Total—1215.7 ha (43.7%)

Uninhabitable—MHSI=0 807 ha salt marsh 234.1 ha sand 208.8 ha golf course 160.7 ha roads 153.7 ha water Total—1564.3 ha (57.3%)

RESULTS

MHSI

Locations with low MHSI values are most available

High MHSI values are least available

DISCUSSION

FSI VS. CSI

Results support Boyle and Fendley (1987) model—cotton rat availability

Bobcat-human ecology Activity reduced to avoid human interaction

Current use as an umbrella species for habitat preservation Under some scrutiny

DISCUSSION

Population very uniqueMHSI specific to this population

Isolated population High population density May not be location-appropriate focal species

DISCUSSION

Sl ide 1: http: / /wal lpaperswa.com/Animals /wi ld l i fe/animals_wi ld l i fe_bobcats_1600x1200_wal lpaper_44200/download_1600x1200

Sl ide 2:http: / /www.k iawahis land.com/developer/, http: / / fu l lwal lpaper. tk /2014/07/13/bobcat/

Sl ide 7: http: / /www.expedia.com/Char leston-Hotels -ResortQuest-Rentals -At-K iawah- Is land.h1240620.Hotel - Information

Sl ide 9: http: / /www.fi le-extens ions.org/arcgis -explorer-fi le-extens ions Sl ide 10: http: / /wdfw.wa.gov/ l iv ing/spec ies /graphics /bobcat_1. jpg Sl ide 11: http: / /www.k iawahresort .com/blog/k iawah- is land/2014/04/16/k iawah-bobcats/ Sl ide 12:

http: / /conservat ioncubc lub.com/2012/08/ is -your-cat-a-tree-or-bush-dwel ler /bobcat_ fami ly- in-den/, http: / /www.eeob. iastate.edu/ facul ty/C larkW/html / reproduct ion.html

Sl ide 13: http: / /www.nwf.org/news-and-magazines/nat ional -wi ld l i fe/animals /archives/2014/k iawah-bobcats .aspx

Sl ide 16: http: / /caro l inaartsnews.wordpress .com/2012/02/09/the-wel ls -gal lery-at- the-sanctuary-on-k iawah- is land-sc-announce-winners-of- the-3rd-annual - is land-arts - jur ied-show/, http: / /andthatswhenshesnapped.wordpress .com/

Sl ide 18: http: / /www.welcometokiawah.com/Links%20of%20Interest/K INHC/People%20bobcats%20mingle%20on%20lush%20Kiawah%20Is land%20.htm

Sl ide 19: http: / /www.k iawahresort .com/recreat ion/by- interest /wi ld l i fe-as-we-see- i t /wi ld l i fe-archives-2010

Sl ide 22: http: / / t rack ingtheworld.com/blog/gps-track ing-al lows-contruct ion-company-to -avoid-wi ld li fe/

Other: Microsoft Powerpoint

PHOTO COURTESY

IUCN Redlist [IUCN]. 2014. Lynx rufus. <http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/12521/0>. Accessed 5 October 2014.

Roberts, S.B., J.D. Jordan, P. Bettinger, and R.J. Warren. 2010.

Using bobcat habitat suitability to prioritize habitat preservation on a suburbanizing barrier island. Journal of Wildlife Management 74:386-384.

REFERENCE

THANK YOU