WYOMING MIGRATION INITIATIVE

ANNUAL REPORT2014

Photo by Jonny Armstrong

Advancing the

understanding, appreciation,

and conservation of

Wyoming's migratory

ungulates by conducting

innovative research and

sharing scienti�c information

through public outreach.

FOLLOW MATT AT@wyokau�man

GET ADDITIONAL UPDATES

WWW.MIGRATIONINITIATIVE.ORG

ON THE AFTERNOON of

December 17, the last collared mule deer

jumped to its feet and bounded away from

the research team. She didn’t realize that

thousands of people were watching.

That’s because they were tuned in via

social media from all over the world. Live

“tweeting” our deer captures was just one of the ways that we

told the stories of Wyoming's big game migrations last year.

These migrations are spectacular, but they are also critical to

maintaining the abundance of big game that places like

Wyoming enjoy. New research is revealing the details of these

migrations like never before. But too often, the new knowledge

isn't making it to the ground, where it can best benefit

management and conservation. That is why we created the

Wyoming Migration Initiative.

I am proud of what we accomplished in 2014. We put several

new migration routes on the map, including the world's longest

mule deer migration. I am especially heartened that agencies,

NGOs, and landowners are using our maps to make their

on-the-ground work more effective.

We focused on outreach in 2014, with films, talks, photo

exhibits, and live tweets of our work. I am encouraged by the

interest these efforts have generated among people throughout

Wyoming and the West. Ranchers, oil-field workers, sportsman,

and conservationist have all tuned in. Big game migrations cross

the backyards of many of these people, and we look forward to

continuing to share our migration information with folks from

across the state and beyond.

WHO IS THE WYOMING MIGRATION INITIATIVE?We are a group of researchers, cartographers, students, and writers

from the University of Wyoming (UW), the University of Oregon,

and elsewhere working together to study Wyoming's ungulate

migrations, tell their stories, and further their conservation.

Photo by Scott Copeland Images

FACEBOOK.COM/MIGRATIONINITIATIVE

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ELK MIGRATIONSOF THE GYE

UPDATE

Each spring in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

(GYE), thousands of elk migrate from far-flung

winter ranges in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, to

high-elevation summer ranges near the core of

Yellowstone National Park. The elk migrations are

the beating heart of the GYE, both ecologically and

culturally. But these migratory elk herds face new

challenges, from the recovery of wolves and grizzly

bears, to habitat change caused by drought and

development. This project is investigating the

changing ecology of the GYE elk migrations and

developing outreach materials to celebrate elk

migration as a defining feature of this globally

significant landscape.

During 2014, project lead and WMI Research

Associate Arthur Middleton worked to assemble all

the available GPS data for GYE elk – nearly 2.7 million

locations from 270 individuals in 7 herds (see map).

Partners include the Wyoming Game and Fish

Department (WGFD), Montana Fish Wildlife and

Parks, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game,

Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National

Park, the National Elk Refuge, and the Wildlife

Conservation Society. To complete the picture of the

GYE elk migrations, we placed GPS collars on 30 new

elk in the Cody herd in 2014, and will target the

remaining Wiggins Fork herd in 2015. This synthesis

will facilitate study of how climate affects migration

behavior, improved monitoring of the elk migrations,

and detailed recommendations for long-term

conservation of these populations and their habitats.

We are also working to tell this story to a wider, public

audience. In 2014, project photographer Joe Riis logged

8 months and 800 miles in the GYE on horseback and

foot, scouting migration trails and setting and checking

camera traps. A traveling museum exhibit, in

collaboration with artist James Prosek and the Buffalo

Bill Center of the West, is planned for mid 2016.

Photo by Joe Riis

Elk migrations of the GYE. Each color represents a different herd.

GRANDTETON

YELLOWSTONESandCreekHerd

ParadiseValleyHerd

MadisonValleyHerd

ClarksForkHerd

CodyHerd

JacksonHerd

NorthernHerd

A B S A R O K A R A NG

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CENTENNIAL MTNS

N 0

0 30 km

30 mi.

ATLAS OF WILDLIFE MIGRATION:

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UPDATE

COMING

in2016!

View sample page pairs on the WMI website, and

look for atlas maps and graphics in our short �lms,

reports, museum exhibits, and social media.

Our team is producing an Atlas of Wildlife Migration

to help draw attention to the amazing journeys of

Wyoming’s migratory ungulates, to synthesize

disparate spatial data on migration, and to elevate

awareness of this ecological phenomenon as a means

of advancing conservation and management efforts.

This will be the world’s first atlas dedicated to telling

the ungulate migration story. The atlas draws upon a

wealth of knowledge built through several decades of

intensive study by biologists at the UW, other state

and federal agencies, and private firms. It also

benefits from the on-the-ground expertise of many

of Wyoming’s wildlife managers. The UW is

partnering with the award-winning cartographic

team at the University of Oregon (UO) Department of

Geography’s InfoGraphics Lab (the producers of the

Atlas of Yellowstone) to design and create compelling

visualizations of these magnificent migrations.

Facing pages in the atlas will cover more than 70

migration topics, ranging from ecology to

conservation and management – all of which will be

illustrated with visually stunning maps, graphics, and

photographs (by accomplished photographers Joe Riis

and Mark Gocke). Page pairs will illustrate topics such

as the historic loss of migration by Teton bighorn

sheep, the effects of energy and housing development

on migrations, and the discovery and conservation of

the longest mule deer migration in the world. The atlas will be

published as a large format reference book. In addition, select

migration stories from the atlas will be accessible on the WMI

website in an interactive format, with animations, interviews, and

other links. The atlas will be a data rich, state-of-the art,

easy-to-read authoritative reference book that will educate and

engage regional and national readers. It will bring Wyoming's

unique wildlife migrations to life, even for people far from

the region.

To date, about half the atlas production work is complete with

nearly 50 of the topic page pairs in production or near-completion.

Completed atlas pages thus far include hundreds of detailed maps

and data graphics.

The editorial and production team of the Atlas of Wildlife Migration

includes Matthew Kauffman (Senior Editor), James Meacham

(Cartographic Editor), Hall Sawyer (Associate Editor), Alethea

Steingisser (Production Manager), Matt Hayes (Spatial Analyst), Bill

Rudd (Contributing Editor), and Emilene Ostlind (Content Editor).

WYOMING’S UNGULATES

Click to view

IN COLLABORATIONWITH THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGONINFOGRAPHICS LAB

3

Our team is producing an Atlas of Wildlife Migration

to help draw attention to the amazing journeys of

Wyoming’s migratory ungulates, to synthesize

disparate spatial data on migration, and to elevate

awareness of this ecological phenomenon as a means

of advancing conservation and management efforts.

This will be the world’s first atlas dedicated to telling

the ungulate migration story. The atlas draws upon a

wealth of knowledge built through several decades of

intensive study by biologists at the UW, other state

and federal agencies, and private firms. It also

benefits from the on-the-ground expertise of many

of Wyoming’s wildlife managers. The UW is

partnering with the award-winning cartographic

team at the University of Oregon (UO) Department of

Geography’s InfoGraphics Lab (the producers of the

Atlas of Yellowstone) to design and create compelling

visualizations of these magnificent migrations.

Facing pages in the atlas will cover more than 70

migration topics, ranging from ecology to

conservation and management – all of which will be

illustrated with visually stunning maps, graphics, and

photographs (by accomplished photographers Joe Riis

and Mark Gocke). Page pairs will illustrate topics such

as the historic loss of migration by Teton bighorn

sheep, the effects of energy and housing development

on migrations, and the discovery and conservation of

Above: UO InfoGraphics Lab Atlas Team

(From left to right): James Meacham

(Senior Research Associate), Alethea

Steingisser (Cartographic Production

Manager), Lauren Tierney (Graduate

Research Assistant), and Riley

Champine (Student Cartographer).

The InfoGraphics Lab is responsible for the cartographic design and production of the migration atlas. In addition to the atlas work, the team develops cartographic products for WMI films, media releases, social media, museum exhibits, website, and other reports.

the longest mule deer migration in the world. The atlas will be

published as a large format reference book. In addition, select

migration stories from the atlas will be accessible on the WMI

website in an interactive format, with animations, interviews, and

other links. The atlas will be a data rich, state-of-the art,

easy-to-read authoritative reference book that will educate and

engage regional and national readers. It will bring Wyoming's

unique wildlife migrations to life, even for people far from

the region.

To date, about half the atlas production work is complete with

nearly 50 of the topic page pairs in production or near-completion.

Completed atlas pages thus far include hundreds of detailed maps

and data graphics.

The editorial and production team of the Atlas of Wildlife Migration

includes Matthew Kauffman (Senior Editor), James Meacham

(Cartographic Editor), Hall Sawyer (Associate Editor), Alethea

Steingisser (Production Manager), Matt Hayes (Spatial Analyst), Bill

Rudd (Contributing Editor), and Emilene Ostlind (Content Editor).

5

RED DESERT TO HOBACKUPDATE

Part of our mission at the Wyoming Migration

Initiative is to convey migration science to

stakeholders in ways that are accessible and

actionable. Our first effort at this type of scientific

outreach was The Red Desert to Hoback Mule Deer

Migration Assessment – a 52-page report that

describes, maps, and illustrates the conservation

challenges of a 150-mile migration route through

western Wyoming. To accompany the report, we

worked with National Geographic photographer Joe

Riis to develop a traveling photo exhibit and a

5-minute short-film. The report, photo exhibit, and

film were all released in April 2014. The report was

widely distributed to agencies, non-governmental

organizations (NGOs), and the public. By December

2014, the photo exhibit had been viewed by thousands

of people at numerous venues, including the

University of Wyoming, Western Wyoming

Community College, Middle Fork restaurant in

Lander, Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale,

and the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson

Hole. And to date, the film has more than 2 million

views. Together, the report, photo exhibit, and film

have raised awareness of this migration route

nationally, as well as across Wyoming's diverse small

towns and communities.

Importantly, the Red Desert to Hoback assessment

represents a new way of connecting migration research

to on-the-ground conservation. The report has

provided a roadmap for management and conservation

by clearly identifying the challenges associated with

sustaining long-distance migrations through

multiple-use landscapes. As we have worked to

communicate these findings broadly across Wyoming,

we are encouraged to see that various agencies and

NGOs are using the assessment to guide their

conservation or planning efforts.

The Red Desert to Hoback Mule Deer Migration Assessment

Mule Deer Migration Video

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OUTREACH

Photo by Joe Riis

Click to view

Pinedale

Kemmerer

Green River

Rock Springs

80

28

191

189

352

I D A H O

FremontLake

BoulderLake

WINTER RANGE

SUMMER RANGE

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I LL

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R E D

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H i l l s

UPDATE

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The WMI seeks to provide agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders with better tools to

manage and conserve ungulate migration. Our assessment of the Red Desert to Hoback

Migration has already led to several conservation actions, and others are under way.

PUTTINGTHE SCIENCE

TO WORK

CONSERVATION EFFORTS

1The Wyoming Game and Fish

Department improved

permeability of fences near the

Soda Lake elk feedground by

making fence-jumps easier for

mule deer to manage.

WGFD FENCING

The Conservation Fund is attempting to raise about 2

million dollars to purchase a 364-acre private parcel

located in the middle of a critical bottleneck along the

migration route. The private parcel is located adjacent to

Fremont Lake and was at risk of residential development.

Ultimately, the parcel will be transferred to public

ownership for the benefit of migrating mule deer.

2 OPEN SPACE

A consortium of Wyoming NGOs have joined together

with agencies to assist with conservation efforts and

planning. In late 2014, the Wyoming Wildlife Federation

hired a coordinator to help lead the effort.

3 CONSERVATION CONSORTIUM

4

Agricultural economists at University of

Wyoming are publishing a bulletin describing

how conservation easements in migration routes

can be strategically targeted based on residential

development risk and cost.

TARGETING CONSERVATION EASEMENTS

The Wyoming Department of Transportation

modified right-of-way fencing along WY 28 to

facilitate deer migrations across the highway. This

fence was identified in the assessment as being too

high for deer to readily jump over.

5 WYDOT FENCING

The Bureau of Land Management and other

stakeholders are considering how best to incorporate

this migration corridor into the revised Resource

Management Plan in the Rock Springs Field Office.

6 BLM PLANNING

We launched the online Migration Viewer in April

2014 and now agencies, NGOs, and the public can

explore detailed movement data from Wyoming's

diverse ungulate migrations. Users can access the

beta version of the viewer on the WMI webpage and

view 30 of the more than 40 GPS collar studies in the

database. These 30 studies were conducted from

1997–2012 and include 1,289 animals with 6,041,571

locations. We are already seeing great interest in the

viewer. Since its launch, there have been over 1,000

unique users with an average of 359 sessions per

month. We will add additional studies in 2015 once

data owner agreements are in place.

Much of our focus in the latter half of 2014 was on

refining the beta version. We held over 20

demonstration sessions with agency and NGO users

to gather feedback. Together with the programmers

and spatial analysts at the Wyoming Geographic

Information Science Center, we have been working to

address feedback and refine the viewer. We are

focused primarily on developing a new user interface,

which will be completed in 2015, to make the site more

intuitive and easier to use.

The viewer allows access to the most detailed and

robust datasets ever collected on Wyoming's ungulates.

Users can learn where migration studies were

conducted, what study objectives were pursued, and

who conducted and funded the research. Most

importantly, the animation feature allows users to see

firsthand how animals move across Wyoming’s

landscapes, day to day or month to month. Agency

users and others will also be able to view detailed

movements, make queries, and summarize specific

information on ungulate migrations.

We intend for the viewer to be a durable resource

for Wyoming that will put current and future

migration data at the fingertips of managers and

conservationist as they seek to sustain the region's

long-distance migrations.

MIGRATION VIEWERUPDATE

6

Click to view

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LIVE-TWEETING MULE DEER CAPTUREOur research with the WGFD, the US Geological Survey, and the Bureau of Land

Management is providing information critical to mule deer conservation efforts. The

public cares deeply about mule deer, and capture and collar efforts are the primary

tool we use to study migration and habitat use. We live-tweeted our December 2014

captures to bring attention to the conservation of mule deer, ongoing management

efforts, and the role of research. We will do it again in March 2015. Like us on

Facebook or Twitter to follow the action!

VIDEO RELEASEThe year 2014 marked the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, and the 30th

anniversary of Wyoming's own act. A first-of-its-kind mapping project we

conducted revealed that designated wilderness areas provide important habitat

for five of Wyoming’s migratory big-game species. We animated the migrations

and debuted them in a short film hosted by National Geographic's Short Film

Showcase in an effort to connect the public's knowledge of where Wyoming's

wilderness areas are to the big-game migration routes that also cross the state.

INTERPRETIVE VENUESWe have sought to share some of the atlas maps with the public ahead of

publication. Thus far, our maps have been used at migration exhibits at the Buffalo

Bill Center of the West, the National Museum of Wildlife Art, and the Museum of

the Mountain Man, among others. We have also shared our migration maps

through short films, public talks, informational kiosks, and our live-tweeting deer

capture event. These cartographic products allow us to tell Wyoming's important

migration stories across the state, and beyond its borders.

The work of the

Wyoming Migration

Initiative has been

covered widely in the

news media, from small

Wyoming papers, to

national and

international outlets.

NEWS

PUBLIC OUTREACH

Click to view

Our rigorous and diverse research program is the foundation

of the WMI. These studies, focused on mule deer, elk, moose,

pronghorn and bighorn sheep, are providing more detailed mapping

of ungulate migration routes across Wyoming. In addition we are

evaluating several key research questions including, 1) the effects of

development on migrations, 2) the influence of drought on the

foraging benefit of migration, 3) the nutritional benefits of migration,

4) the development of remote cameras to monitor migrations, 5) how

phenology (i.e., spring green-up) and weather influences migration

timing and movement, and 6) long-term monitoring of migration. In

addition to the peer-reviewed publication listed below, WMI

researchers and students gave numerous scientific talks at state,

national, and international conferences in 2014.

Copeland, H.E., H. Sawyer, K.L. Monteith, D.E. Naugle, A. Pocewicz, N.

Graf, and M.J. Kauffman. 2014. Conserving migratory mule deer through the umbrella of sage-grouse. Ecosphere 5: 1–16.

(Click to download)

Jones, J.D., M.J. Kauffman, K.L. Monteith, B.M. Scurlock, S.E. Albeke,

and P.C. Cross. 2014. Supplemental feeding alters migration of a temperate ungulate. Ecological Applications 24:1769–1779.

(Click to download)

Lendrum, P.E., C.R. Anderson, K.L. Monteith, J.A. Jenks, and R.T.

Bowyer. 2014. Relating the movement of a rapidly migrating ungulate: effects of forage quality. Mammalian Biology 79:369–375.

(Click to download)

Middleton, A.D. 2014. Changes in habitat quality and predation shape a Yellowstone elk migration. Yellowstone Science 22: 36–37.

(Click to view)

Monteith, K.L., V.C. Bleich, T.R. Stephenson, B.M. Pierce, M.M. Conner,

J.G. Kie, and R.T. Bowyer. 2014. Life-history characteristics of mule deer: effects of nutrition in a variable environment. Wildlife

Monographs 186:1–62. (Click to download)

Sawyer, H., M. Hayes, B. Rudd, and M.J. Kauffman. 2014. The Red Desert to Hoback mule deer migration assessment. Wyoming

Migration Initiative, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.

(Click to download)

8

PAPERS PUBLISHED

Photos by Mark Gocke, WGFD

MAJOR FUNDERS:

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We are grateful for the support of three primary

funders, who believed in the WMI mission and helped

launch this unique program in 2012. Our work to

understand and conserve Wyoming's ungulate

migrations would not be possible without their support.

We partner with a variety of agencies, NGOs, and

universities, who are funders, collaborators, or

cooperators in our work. We appreciate the broad

support that these diverse groups have shown and

look forward to continued work together in 2015.

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers

Bureau of Land Management

Community Foundation of Jackson Hole

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Draper Museum of Natural History

Fran and Lenox Baker Foundation

Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee

Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources

Jerry and Viesia Kirk

Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, USA

Mule Deer Foundation

Muley Fanatic Foundation

Museum of the Mountain Man

National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center

National Geographic Expeditions Council

National Museum of Wildlife Art

National Park Service

National Science Foundation

Pew Charitable Trusts

Robert S. & Grayce B. Kerr Foundation

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

PARTNERS

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS:Teton Science School

The Conservation Fund

The Nature Conservancy

The Trust for Public Land

The Wilderness Society

Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

US Geological Survey

University of Oregon

US Fish and Wildlife Service

US Forest Service

USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service

UW Office of Research and Economic Development

Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc.

Western Landowners Alliance

WGF Commissioner Fred Lindzey

WGF Commissioner Mike Healey

Wyoming Department of Transportation

Wyoming Game & Fish Department

Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center

Wyoming Governor’s Big Game License Coalition

Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative

Wyoming Outdoor Council

Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation

Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Fund

Wyoming Wildlife - The Foundation

Wyoming Wildlife Federation

Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

University of Wyoming

1000 East University Ave., Dept. 3166

Laramie, WY 82071

Photo by Jonny Armstrong