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Elk (Cervus canadensis) have been successfully translocated to 11 states in the United States and 1 Canadian province in eastern North America. Availability of suitable habitat is an important factor in determining the success of relocations, but there is limited information on habitat selection of elk in eastern deciduous forests. Our objective was to determine resource selection of male and female elk recently translocated in the Ozark Mountains, Missouri, USA. We placed global positioning system (GPS) collars on all translocated adult elk. We modeled seasonal resource selection as a function of 9 habitat‐related covariates using a hierarchical Bayesian discrete choice model. Forage openings (cultivated fields providing forage for wildlife), glades, and cool‐season grasslands (pastures) had high probabilities of elk use. Areas with vegetation type heterogeneity, low canopy cover, and far from paved roads but close to 2‐track roads also had high probabilities of elk use. The availability of open lands, such as glades, pastures, and forage openings, appears to be important for elk in all seasons in forest‐dominated landscapes and may help encourage site fidelity following translocation and reduce conflict with private property as the population becomes established. Managers of elk populations in similar ecosystems should ensure sufficient availability of open lands, which might be met through maintenance of forage openings and restoration of natural open lands. Additionally, restoration efforts can benefit from post‐translocation monitoring that allows managers to improve upon externally derived habitat models through a process of adaptive restoration planning and habitat management. © 2018 The Wildlife Society. Availability of open lands (e.g., glades, pastures, forage openings) is important for elk restoration in forest‐dominated landscapes in eastern North America, and managers of elk populations in such ecosystems can ensure sufficient availability of open lands through habitat management. Additionally, restoration efforts can benefit from post‐translocation monitoring, and we recommend developing a post‐translocation monitoring plan that can be used to evaluate and, if needed, revise restoration efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We studied elk ( Cervus canadensis nelsoni) parturition sites at coarse (314-km2 and 7-km2) and fine (0.2-ha) scales in the Black Hills, South Dakota, 2011-2013, following a period of population decline and poor calf recruitment. Our objective was to test whether female elk selected parturition sites across spatial scales in association with forage, terrain ruggedness, road density, or hiding and security cover. At coarse scales in forests and grasslands, female elk selected sites in areas with greater proportions of vegetation communities that provided forage (56-74% of area) and more rugged topography (194-248 m) than found at random. At coarse scales in grasslands, elk selected sites in areas with lower road densities (≤1.24 km/plot). At the fine scale in forests and grasslands, female elk selected sites in areas with intermediate slope (19%), closer to water (355-610 m), and far from roads (541-791 m). Further, elk in forests and grasslands selected sites with intermediate security cover (50-88 m). We hypothesize elk selected for intermediate rugged terrain at larger scales for security from high road densities and human disturbance, but these areas may have placed elk in riskier environments for puma ( Puma concolor) predation. Forest management that maintains open-canopied vegetation communities in less rugged areas and prevents ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa) encroachment of meadows to provide forage may be beneficial for elk. Further, elk parturition sites occurred close to roads, particularly on public lands, and agencies should consider road-use restrictions and vegetation buffers beside roads in areas with less rugged terrain, which may provide favorable calving habitat. © 2015 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Home ranges were smallest (20–226ha) in 1–2year post-summer wildfire habitat. [•] Home ranges were intermediate (67–790ha) in mountain pine beetle infestations. [•] Black-backed Woodpeckers selected trees in high basal area (>27m2/ha) sites. [•] Black-backed Woodpeckers selected relatively large diameter (>27cm) dead trees. [•] Black-backed Woodpeckers rarely used 1-year post-fall prescribed fire habitat. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Resource utilization function (RUF) models permit evaluation of potential habitat for endangered species; ideally such models should be evaluated before use in management decision-making. We evaluated the predictive capabilities of a previously developed black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) RUF. Using the population-level RUF, generated from ferret observations at an adjacent yet distinct colony, we predicted the distribution of ferrets within a black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colony in theConata Basin, South Dakota, USA. We evaluated model performance, using data collected during postbreeding spotlight surveys (2007–2008) by assessing model agreement via weighted compositional analysis and count-metrics. Compositional analysis of home range use and colony-level availability, and core area use and home range availability, demonstrated ferret selection of the predicted Very high and High occurrence categories in 2007 and 2008. Simple count-metrics corroborated these findings and suggested selection of the Very high category in 2007 and the Very high and High categories in 2008. Collectively, these results suggested that the RUF was useful in predicting occurrence and intensity of space use of ferrets at our study site, the 2 objectives of the RUF. Application of this validated RUF would increase the resolution of habitat evaluations, permitting prediction of the distribution of ferrets within distinct colonies. Additional model evaluation at other sites, on other black-tailed prairie dog colonies of varying resource configuration and size, would increase understanding of influences upon model performance and the general utility of the RUF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of movements, range size and spatial overlap of sympatric deer is integral to understanding chronic wasting disease (CWD) in endemic areas and can assist resource managers in modeling the spread of the disease. We radiocollared 70 deer (30 mule deer Odocoileus hemionus and 40 white-tailed deer O. virginianus) in the North Platte River Valley in western Nebraska, USA, from 2004 to 2007 to document movements, size and spatial overlap of home range and resource selection of these sympatric species of deer. We compared home-range size and overlap and resource selection among male and female mule deer and white-tailed deer to examine relative use of space in order to understand the potential for indirect spread of CWD better. We identified forested, riparian habitats as high selection of use and these habitats could likely contribute to the potential spreading of CWD between sympatric deer that concentrate in these areas.Wefound that migration, size of home range of female mule deer, and similarities in resource selection could contribute to sustaining or spreading CWD in Nebraska. The role of female mule deer in the spread of CWD coupled with selection for riparian corridors by both species should be investigated further, because these factors may be a primary determinant of disease spread in the historical range of mule deer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of statistical methods for modeling resource selection by animals is difficult to evaluate with field data because true selection patterns are unknown. Simulated data based on a known probability distribution, though, can be used to evaluate statistical methods. Models should estimate true selection patterns if they are to be useful in analyzing and interpreting field data. We used simulation techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of three statistical methods used in modeling resource selection. We generated 25 use locations per animal and included 10, 20, 40, or 80 animals in samples of use locations. To simulate species of different mobility, we generated use locations at four levels according to a known probability distribution across DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR) in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, USA. We either generated 5 random locations per use location or 10,000 random locations (total) within 4 predetermined areas around use locations to determine how the definition of availability and the number of random locations affected results. We analyzed simulated data using discrete choice, logistic-regression, and a maximum entropy method (Maxent). We used a simple linear regression of estimated and known probability distributions and area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) to evaluate the performance of each method. Each statistical method was affected differently by number of animals and random locations used in analyses, level at which selection of resources occurred, and area considered available. Discrete-choice modeling resulted in precise and accurate estimates of the true probability distribution when the area in which use locations were generated was≥the area defined to be available. Logistic-regression models were unbiased and precise when the area in which use locations were generated and the area defined to be available were the same size; the fit of these models improved with increased numbers of random locations. Maxent resulted in unbiased and precise estimates of the known probability distribution when the area in which use locations were generated was small (home-range level) and the area defined to be available was large (study area). Based on AUC analyses, all models estimated the selection distribution better than random chance. Results from AUC analyses, however, often contradicted results of the linear regression method used to evaluate model performance. Discrete-choice modeling was best able to estimate the known selection distribution in our study area regardless of sample size or number of random locations used in the analyses, but we recommend further studies using simulated data over different landscapes and different resource metrics to confirm our results. Our study offers an approach and guidance for others interested in assessing the utility of techniques for modeling resource selection in their study area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]