USE OF CAMERA TRAPPING TO DETERMINE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION, HABITAT USE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AFFECTING MESOPREDATORS ON RECLAIMED MINE LANDS AT THE WILDS

Abstract

There have been few studies conducted on mammalian mesopredators on reclaimed mine sites. The Wilds, a 9,154-acre conservation center located in Eastern Ohio, was surface mined for coal from the 1940s-1980s and reclamation began in 1971 (History, 2015). Coyotes (Canis latrans) and bobcats (Lynx rufus) are the main mesopredators located at the Wilds and were the primary focus of this study. Camera trapping was used to assess how ecological factors impacted the habitat use and distribution of bobcats and coyotes on reclaimed mine land. Ten remote cameras were randomly deployed across the property to monitor the biological community at the Wilds from late January to early July. Statistical analyses were used to determine the impact of variable conditions on the number of bobcat and coyote observations at all camera traps. These conditions included the seasons, time period, baiting, edge versus interior habitat, mining effects, snow cover, and the level of human activity. It was determined that coyotes did not closely associate with any habitat types, while they did closely associate with several scavenging species. Bobcats were most closely associated with large prey items, such as the white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and eastern cottontail and were also closely associated with open or sparsely covered habitats. The results of Pearson’s chi-squared tests determined that photographs of bobcats during this study were captured significantly more often when the camera trap was located on an unmined site, when the trap was baited, when snow cover was present, during nocturnal periods, and during winter. This study reaffirmed the ability of remote camera traps to effectively survey elusive species that may occur at low densities such as the bobcat and the coyote. The data collected from this study has demonstrated that although the effects of mining were extensive at the Wilds, the mesopredator populations of bobcats and coyotes have returned to this recovering landscape. ______________________ 1 Paper submitted to JASMR for consideration from work done at the Wilds. 2 Katherine Driscoll is Wildlife Ecology Apprentice, the Wilds, Cumberland, OH 43732; Matt Lacey is Wildlife Ecology Intern, the Wilds, Cumberland, OH 43732. Dr. Joe Greathouse is Assistant Professor of Biology, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV 26074 DOI: http://doi.org/10.21000/JASMR17010015 Journal American Society of Mining and Reclamation, 2017 Vol.6, No.1