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Patterns of Landscape Use by Female Brown Bears on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Author(s) -
SURING LOWELL H.,
FARLEY SEAN D.,
HILDERBRAND GRANT V.,
GOLDSTEIN MICHAEL I.,
HOWLIN SHAY,
ERICKSON WALLACE P.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the journal of wildlife management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1937-2817
pISSN - 0022-541X
DOI - 10.2193/0022-541x(2006)70[1580:polubf]2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - ursus , geography , peninsula , riparian zone , habitat , recreation , fishery , endangered species , ecology , wildlife management , oncorhynchus , vegetation (pathology) , archaeology , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , population , medicine , demography , pathology , sociology
We describe landscape use of female brown bears (Ursus arctos) on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, USA. Radiocollars, fitted to 43 adult female brown bears, provided radio relocations, which we used to describe habitat use patterns by season and reproductive class at the landscape scale. Brown bears were associated with areas with low densities of human developments and roads, as well as riparian areas that were close to cover. Presence of streams and lakes that supported spawning salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) positively influenced summertime distribution of bears. Female brown bears with cubs avoided concentrations of other bears. Resource managers may use this information to respond to brown bear conservation issues associated with increasing human populations and associated development in the establishment of road density standards, seasonal road closures, management of recreation sites, and vegetation management on the Kenai Peninsula.