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Minimal information is available regarding the reproduction of coyotes ( Canis latrans) in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes the states of Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Since reproductive information is useful to assess populations and determine management strategies and because this information is unavailable for the Mid-Atlantic, we examined uterine tracts of 66 female coyotes collected from February to May 2010 for fetuses. We measured fetuses using a digital caliper and approximated dates of conception and parturition. Nine (13.6%) female coyotes were pregnant with visible fetuses; seven of these females were yearlings (1.5-2.5 y old). Average litter size of yearling coyotes was 5.4 (SE = 0.48). We estimated an average conception date of 2 February and an average parturition date of 6 April. Conception and parturition dates were within the reported range for coyotes, though one female successfully bred in early January, which is earlier than reported in the literature. The relatively high proportion (30.4%) of yearling females breeding in West Virginia may reflect abundant food resources, low density of coyotes, increasing human-caused mortality, or a combination of these factors. Reproductive information reported here will be helpful in monitoring coyote population trends and in the assessment of management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a large body of literature that reports habitat use in non-urban areas, we lack a fundamental understanding of how American black bears ( Ursus americanus; hereafter, black bear) use habitats in the urban-wildland interface in the eastern United States. This lack of information is problematic for bear managers in areas where bear populations are large and adjacent to urban areas. To better understand characteristics of urban-wildland habitat occupied by black bears, we conducted a study to understand habitat use of black bears in 7 urban areas in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. We fit data from 77 individual black bears with Global Positioning System-Global System for Mobile Communications collars during 2010-2012 in Johnstown, State College, and Scranton, Pennsylvania; northwestern New Jersey; and Beckley, Charleston, and Morgantown, West Virginia. We fit resource selection functions using generalized linear mixed models in R with different combinations of study area, human impact (human density and housing density), habitat (distance to roads, patch size), land cover (deciduous forest, evergreen forest, mixed forest, shrubland, grassland, pasture, barren, open-, low-, medium-, and high-intensity development, woody wetlands, and herbaceous wetlands), topographic (elevation and slope), and other variables (year, period of day [night or day], age and sex of the individual bear). Black bears used habitat similarly among study areas and between sexes. Black bears used forested slopes and riparian corridors in the urban-wildland interface. Black bears on the urban-wildland interface selected habitats similarly to wildland bears within the body of literature. Habitat selection was similar for males and females, regardless of study area, time of day, season, or year. Our results indicate that managers can employ the same suite of management tools to reduce human-bear conflicts at the urban-wildland interface that they use to deal with black bear conflicts in wildland areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The substantial decline of Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) in the southern Appalachian Mountains has been attributed in part to poor recruitment with possible links to nesting ecology. However, despite extensive research, the incubation ecology of Ruffed Grouse remains poorly understood. During 1999-2001 in West Virginia, we used videography of nesting female Ruffed Grouse to (1) quantify incubation constancy (minutes on the nest/minutes recorded) and nest survival during incubation, (2) determine whether incubation constancy predicts hatch success (proportion of eggs hatched per clutch), (3) determine the effect of the onset of laying on incubation constancy and hatch success, and (4) quantify nest visitors and depredation. Females spent about 96% of the recorded time incubating their clutches. Average incubation time per day increased by 1 h between day I and day 24 of incubation. Females generally left their nests twice daily, once in the morning between 0700 and 1000 for 31.7 ± 2.4 minutes (standard error) and again in the evening between 1600 and 1800 for 33.6 ± 1.5 minutes. Daily survival of nests (99.3 ± 0.4%) and nest survival for the incubation period (84.9 ± 9.3%) were high. Hatch success (the proportion of eggs that hatched among nests where at least one hatched) was high: 94.9 ± 0.02%. We found no relation between incubation constancy and hatch success. We recorded American Black Bear (Ursus americanus), Raccoon (Procyon lotor), and Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata) as nest predators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Maternity groups of many bat species conform to fission–fusion models and movements among diurnal roost trees and individual bats belonging to these groups use networks of roost trees. Forest disturbances may alter roost networks and characteristics of roost trees. Therefore, at the Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia, we examined roost tree networks of northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) in forest stands subjected to prescribed fire and in unmanipulated control treatments in 2008 and 2009. Northern myotis formed social groups whose roost areas and roost tree networks overlapped to some extent. Roost tree networks largely resembled scale-free network models, as 61% had a single central node roost tree. In control treatments, central node roost trees were in early stages of decay and surrounded by greater basal area than other trees within the networks. In prescribed fire treatments, central node roost trees were small in diameter, low in the forest canopy, and surrounded by low basal area compared to other trees in networks. Our results indicate that forest disturbances, including prescribed fire, can affect availability and distribution of roosts within roost tree networks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a study on the nocturnal activity of northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) maternity colonies at the Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia from 2007 to 2009. It investigates these patterns during pregnancy and lactation at diurnal roost trees in burned and non-burned settings. It found that activity patterns during lactation are not associated with precipitation and temperature whereas weather factors were not a significant factor in activity patterns during pregnancy.

A research study was established to test the effectiveness of fiber mats and native seed mixtures in reducing soil erosion from newly constructed skid roads in the Elk River watershed in central West Virginia. Six road sections received fiber mat and native grass seed and were paired with randomly selected sections of equal grade receiving no treatments. Silt fences with sediment traps were constructed at the downslope terminus of each road section. Sediments were collected from silt traps three times during summer 2005 and 2006. Over the 2-year study period, sediments were reduced by 88% on skid trails treated with fiber mats and seeding. Our findings suggest that the use of fiber mats has the potential to significantly reduce sedimentation from skid roads in West Virginia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Following decades of fire suppression in eastern forests, prescribed fire as a tool to restore or enhance oak (Quercus spp.)-dominated communities is gaining widespread acceptance in the Appalachian Mountains and elsewhere. However, the interactions of fire with biotic components such as wildlife that might be impacted by prescribed fire are poorly documented. For tree-roosting bats, fire can enhance roosting habitat by creating snags and increasing solar radiation at existing roosts. In 2007 and 2008, we examined roost selection of forest-interior dwelling northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) maternity colonies in stands treated with prescribed fire (hereafter, fire) and in unburned (hereafter, control) stands on the Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia. Using radio telemetry, we tracked 36 female northern myotis to 69 roost trees; 25 in the fire treatment and 44 in the control treatment. Using logistic regression and an information-theoretic model selection approach, we determined that within the fire treatment, northern myotis maternity colonies were more likely to use cavity trees that were smaller in diameter, higher in crown class, and located in stands with lower basal area, gentler slopes, and higher percentage of fire-killed stems than random trees. Moreover, roosts often were surrounded by trees that were in the upper crown classes. In the control treatment, northern myotis were more likely to roost nearer the tops of larger diameter cavity trees in early stages of decay that were surrounded by decaying trees in the upper crown classes than random trees. Roost trees in the fire treatment were associated with larger overall canopy gaps than roost trees within the control treatment. Regardless of treatment, northern myotis maternity colonies roosted in black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) in greater proportion than its availability. Ambient temperatures recorded at a subset of roost trees in fire and control treatments indicated that daily minimum temperatures were similar, but daily mean and maximum temperatures were higher in the fire treatments, possibly due to larger canopy gaps created by the senescence and decay of the surrounding fire-killed overstory trees. Northern myotis roost-switching frequency, distance between successive roosts, and duration of individual roost tree use were similar between the fire and control treatments, suggesting similar roost tree availability despite a significantly higher proportion of potential roost trees in the fire treatment. Northern myotis readily exploited alterations to forest structure created by the reintroduction of fire, which accelerated snag creation and enlarged existing or created new canopy gaps, but it remains to be determined if these conditions translate into increased recruitment and survivorship. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

American black bear (Ursus americanus) hunting has come under close scrutiny over the past decade. As black bear populations have increased and expanded, wildlife agencies have been faced with new challenges on how to set population and harvest goals. Wildlife agencies have altered proposed regulations or have had seasons entirely stopped because of public opposition, necessitating a proactive approach to wildlife management based on a scientific understanding of public opinion rather than reactive decision-making in response to public resistance. In November-December 2006, we conducted a telephone survey of 1,206 West Virginia residents to determine their opinions and attitudes toward black bear populations and hunting seasons and to help strengthen the state's black bear management strategies. Although the majority of West Virginians, nearly 3 of 4 respondents in this study, indicated they know at least something about black bears in West Virginia, there were significant regional differences in the public's assessment of their knowledge of the species. Although most respondents thought the black bear population size was "about right," again, there were regional differences among respondents. In general, most respondents supported black bear hunting if the population was carefully monitored, if they knew the population was stable, or both; however, a number of regional and sociodemographic characteristics appeared to influence public opinion on black bear hunting and hunting seasons in the state, and support for specific seasons varied considerably according to hunting method. Interestingly, our study found that even among hunters, public opposition exceeded support for the current, year-round training season of black bear hunting dogs without harvesting animals in the state. Although it is important for wildlife managers to consider human dimensions and public opinion data in conjunction with biological data when making management decisions, we demonstrate that it also is important for managers to consider regional and sociodemographic differences with respect to attitudes and opinions when making management decisions and population objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using infrared video-surveillance systems during 1999-2000, we observed attempts by two individual Long-tailed Weasels (Mustela frenata) to depredate female Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) and their clutch of eggs. Neither female was captured despite Long-tailed Weasel attacks on multiple nights, but all eggs from one nest were either consumed or cached over a two-night period. Although Long-tailed Weasels have been shown to return quickly to areas of abundant prey, return visit behavior to locations where weasels were unsuccessful or only partially successful are poorly described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]