Using GIS to Map the Intersection of Wildlife and Industry

[Nick_Ferrauolo]

Each year, millions of visitors are drawn to Wyoming for its breathtaking scenery and unmatched wildlife viewing. Most of these opportunities exist on public land managed by the U.S. National Park Service, where the primary goal is to protect wildlife. Although these destinations provide exceptional experiences for visitors, they do not represent the majority of places where wildlife are found in Wyoming or the United States. Across the country, the same species that seek refuge on protected public lands find themselves navigating complex landscapes riddled with highways, industry development, and numerous other human influences.

Although Wyoming’s northeastern corner is sparsely populated, the area has been a stronghold for natural resource development for several decades. The region is home to extensive oil and gas development along with some of the largest and most productive surface coal mines in the world. In more recent years, renewable energies, such as wind and solar, have also targeted this corner for development. Potential environmental impacts associated with all kinds of energy development are regulated by state and federal agencies, often requiring consultation with professional wildlife biologists to maintain compliance. Whether it is addressing impacts from planned development or working to inventory habitat and resources, managing wildlife is a spatial balancing act and the GIS techniques detailed below can help provide solutions for our clients and agency partners.  

Hawks, Eagles, and Owls: Buffering a Moving Target

Raptors represent some of the most dynamic wildlife, especially during the nesting season. Like all birds, the breeding season is the most sensitive time for raptors and if intense, prolonged, or repeated disturbance occurs during this time it can lead to nest abandonment or failed nesting attempts. This period is so critical, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides recommended spatial buffers for each raptor species to avoid negligent and illegal disturbance of active nests.

The presence of these red-tailed hawk chicks makes this an active nest site.More than 10 different raptor species breed in this corner of Wyoming and, based on species’ nesting phenology and sensitivity to disturbance, different seasonal timings and spatial buffers are applied to particular nests. In the field, active raptor nests are located, and the resident species is identified. Once out of the field, we use GIS to apply the appropriate spatial buffer, share our findings with clients and agency biologists, and work together to identify any development concerns. Throughout the nesting season, the distribution of these buffers will change as nesting attempts fail naturally or when pairs raise chicks that move beyond their immediate nest area. GIS allows us to view the whole project area at once during the season and keep an eye on critical changes in certain areas. During the monitoring season each version of buffers is communicated to project and wildlife managers to ensure the appropriate steps can be taken to avoid the risk of disturbance.

Prairie Dogs: The Ecosystem Engineer

Prairie dogs graze vegetation and construct burrows creating habitat for a variety of species.

Black-tailed prairie dogs are recognized as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Wyoming, primarily due to their role as a keystone species. Prairie dog colonies represent one of the most unique habitats on the landscape, and the dogs’ ability to graze vegetation and extensively burrow creates conditions and concentrates features in a way that other wildlife does not. Burrowing owls in search of prefabbed nest sites, breeding mountain plovers looking for large expanses of bare ground, and swift foxes on the hunt, are all drawn to prairie dog colonies. Therefore, documenting the extent of these habitats is a crucial step in measuring not only the health and function of the prairie dogs but also the associated species that they support.

The boundary of active prairie dog colonies can be mapped in the field using a GPS and imported into GIS to calculate the total acreage of prairie dog habitat and examine the current extent of the colony. This information can be used to assess the amount of suitable habitat available for other species using the colony, as well as identify the current status of the prairie dogs themselves. Prairie dog populations are cyclic due to outbreaks of sylvatic plague and experience regular “boom and bust” periods of substantial expansion and contraction. Using GIS to overlay annual occupancy and overall colony extent, their size and shape can be compared over time. This process can provide insight as to whether the number of prairie dogs is growing, approaching equilibrium, or declining which of course, affects the species that depend on them.

Mapping prairie dog colonies annually can provide insight into how a given colony may be trending. The elaborate extensions or “fingers” seen on the left, often indicate a colony that is expanding. However, as the prairie dogs bridge gaps between fingers over time, areas fill in and the perimeter becomes shorter, a sign that the colony’s expansion is slowing.

Migration Routes and Ranges: The Name of the Game for Big Game

Wyoming’s big game species are widespread and constantly on the move across the state. In fact, some movements are the longest recorded migration for some species.  In the northeastern corner of the state pronghorn, mule deer, and elk rotate between areas that provide resources and refuge to support them depending on their seasonal needs. Through an extensive survey effort, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department has delineated seasonal ranges and migration corridors utilized by each species. These delineations are critical when evaluating the potential impacts to big game from surface disturbing activities associated with natural resource development projects. For example, identifying and assessing the overlay between project areas and crucial winter range or parturition (birthing) areas, as well as potential constriction of migration corridors that big game use to move between ranges, are important considerations in managing sustainable populations of these species.

A proposed project boundary that identifies a small portion of pronghorn crucial winter range, along with other seasonal ranges that are not extended protective closures. Generating maps like these in advance of planned disturbance events minimizes negative effects on the species.Using GIS, seasonal ranges can be clipped to planned disturbance areas to identify and calculate areas of overlap where direct impacts are expected to occur. The GIS overlay process can identify in advance any conflicts with sensitive range delineations or migration routes. If overlap does occur, agencies may restrict the timing of development to occur outside of sensitive seasonal use periods or work with the project proponents to discuss modifying the project design.  Regardless of the specific seasonal designation, understanding the overlay of big game habitat use in the project area may also assist developers in tailoring their reclamation efforts to restore functional big game habitats when disturbance is complete. In accordance with regulatory and cooperative direction from the state, the goal of this effort is to minimize direct disturbance to these species and GIS remains one of the most effective planning tools in the process.

These applications represent just a few of the ways we use GIS to inventory and monitor wildlife on a dynamic landscape. Working at the intersection of the natural world and industry can be challenging but also incredibly rewarding. As the human population continues to grow and pursues technological advancements, an increased demand for natural resources is inevitable. With progressing development, wildlife interactions will continue to increase in frequency and complexity, and it is our responsibility to get creative in using advancing spatial tools to balance these two valued resources.

--

Nick Ferrauolo is a Wildlife Biologist with Precision Wildlife Resources, LLC in Gillette, Wyoming. For more information on GIS mapping as it relates to our conservation work please reach out at nferrauolo.pwrllc@gmail.com