scholarly journals Influence of the River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) on the Formation of Pro-Conservation Intentions in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 121-124
Author(s):  
Kelly Pearce ◽  
Tom Serfass
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Behavioral Outcomes ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Lontra Canadensis ◽  
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽  
River Otter ◽  
Direct Exposure ◽  
Specific Goal ◽  
Greater Yellowstone ◽  
Marketing Material

The potential to increase participation in support and fundraising, as well as affect pro-conservation intentions and behaviors makes the flagship approach valuable to conservation. Flagships are charismatic species that engender public interest and promote broader ecological and economic values of conservation. Advocates for wildlife tourism suggest that viewing flagships can increase tourists’ awareness and participation in conservation behaviors such as philanthropy, volunteering and activism. However, empirical support for behavioral outcomes associated with flagship exposure is lacking. Exposure to a flagship can vary, such as exposure to marketing materials (i.e., websites, guide books, environmental organizations) or direct viewing experience (i.e., wild, captive). The specific goal of this study was to: (a) determine if direct exposure to the river otter, or marketing material about the species and/or (b) a person’s level of environmental concern influences behavioral intentions to conserve the river otter and its habitat. On-site self-administered questionnaires (n =523) were conducted at 6 locations throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) from 5 June 2015 to 24 August 2015. The results of this study suggests that exposure to the river otter heightens concern and can lead to the formation of specific environmental intentions such as keeping local waterways unpolluted and planting trees along local waterways.

scholarly journals Assessing the Potential of the River Otter to Promote Aquatic Conservation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: A Unique Approach for Developing a Long-Term Aquatic Flagship

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 108-113
Author(s):  
Kelly Pearce ◽  
Tom Serfass
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Lontra Canadensis ◽  
Snake River ◽  
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽  
River Otter ◽  
The Public ◽  
River Otters ◽  
Trout Lake ◽  
Greater Yellowstone

Charismatic “flagship” species are used in many parts of the world to raise public awareness or financial support for conservation, both among local people living in the area and among potential donors living far away. Flagship species can serve as symbols to stimulate conservation awareness and action and have been particularly valuable because of their potential to change citizen behavior, including involvement in conservation and support of fundraising. For a flagship to be successful, however, the target audience and conservation objectives must be established and understood before implementing the concept. Researchers have suggested that a successful flagship should possess traits that endear it to the public, should not be feared or disliked, nor have been used to convey conflicting messages of conservation. Therefore, critical to the flagship approach is understanding attitudes, species preferences, level of wildlife knowledge of people living near and living far away for which support is sought. To determine if the river otter (Lontra canadensis) could be a successful flagship for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), we conducted social science surveys with visitors to Grand Teton National Park who participated in guided-raft trips on the Snake River (n = 768), visitors of Oxbow Bend (n = 254), a popular turn-out for viewing aquatic wildlife, and visitors to Trout Lake in Yellowstone National Park (n = 298). Preliminary results showed that familiarity with the river otters is area dependent (e.g., Trout Lake visitors were more familiar with the species than those visiting Oxbow Bend or rafting the Snake River), river otters are not controversial, but education is needed to better inform the public about river otters’ occurrence and ecosystem function in GYE.

scholarly journals A River Otter's, Lontra canadensis, Capture of a Double-crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus, in British Columbia's Gulf Island Waters

2007 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 325
Author(s):  
Michael H. H. Price ◽  
Clare E. Aries
Keyword(s):  
Lontra Canadensis ◽  
Phalacrocorax Auritus ◽  
River Otter ◽  
Freshwater Lakes ◽  
Marine Bird ◽  
River Otters

Direct and apparent predation events by River Otters (Lontra canadensis) on birds have been recorded on marine islands and freshwater lakes. We add to this the first known observation of a River Otter capturing a marine bird on the ocean.

scholarly journals Defining Sustainability in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan D. Bergstrom
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽  
Community Stakeholders ◽  
Gateway Communities ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Greater Yellowstone ◽  
Effective Decision Making ◽  
Collective Resource ◽  
Time In Residence

Because of the normative and subjective nature of the terms sustainability and sustainable development, solutions tend to be applicable for specific regions but not the whole of society. Thus, it is imperative understand better how community stakeholders and decision makers define the concept of sustainability. Not only will greater understanding of such definitions add to our understanding of nature-society relations, but also in certain contexts, this understanding may help to promote realistic and effective decision-making at local levels. The objective of this study was to determine how amenity-driven gateway communities surrounding Yellowstone and Grand Teton National parks define, conceptualize, and perceive sustainability, and if those perceptions varied between time in residence, community of origin, or role within the community. Thirty-five key informant interviews were conducted with decision makers within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to meet the study objectives. Throughout study communities, definitions of sustainability focused on the environment, the economy, and multi-generational thinking, and it is believed that these similarities can be the starting point for communication and collaboration among gateway communities, the long-term sustainability of their individual communities, and the collective resource upon which they all depend, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

River Otter (Lontra canadensis) Food Habits in a Washington Coast Watershed: Implications for a Threatened Species

2016 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan J Scordino ◽  
Patrick J Gearin ◽  
Susan D Riemer ◽  
Eric M Iwamoto
Keyword(s):  
Threatened Species ◽  
Food Habits ◽  
Lontra Canadensis ◽  
River Otter

scholarly journals Lead exposure in large carnivores in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem

2011 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 575-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Rogers ◽  
Bryan Bedrosian ◽  
Jon Graham ◽  
Kerry R. Foresman
Keyword(s):  
Lead Exposure ◽  
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Greater Yellowstone

scholarly journals Mapping Regional Distribution of a Single Tree Species: Whitebark Pine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Sensors ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 4983-4994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Landenburger ◽  
Rick Lawrence ◽  
Shannon Podruzny ◽  
Charles Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
Single Tree ◽  
Greater Yellowstone

scholarly journals River Otter Distribution and Food Habits in Grand Teton National Park as Part of an Ongoing Project in the GYE

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 75-78
Author(s):  
Kelly Pearce ◽  
Tom Serfass
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Lontra Canadensis ◽  
Flagship Species ◽  
River Otter ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
River Otters

Grand Teton National Park is part of the known range of the North American river otter, however not much is known about this semi-aquatic mammal within the park. The results presented here are part of a larger project to investigate the potential of the river otter (Lontra canadensis) to serve as an aquatic flagship (species that engender public support and action) for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. River otters, known for their charismatic behavior have the potential to serve as an aquatic flagship species to promote conservation of aquatic ecosystems. The primary objective of this portion of the study was to identify river otter latrines on portions of the Snake River, between Flagg Ranch and Jackson Lake, and between Jackson Lake Dam and Pacific Creek, collect river otter scats to determine diet of the river otter, and employ remote cameras to determine activity patterns of the river otters. Between 20 June and 1 July 2015, 26 river otter latrines were identified during shoreline surveys, 186 river otter scats were collected, and cameras were deployed at 6 latrines between 7 July and 24 August 2015. River otter scats have been cleaned and prepared for analysis, but have not all been processed to date. Camera traps recorded 222 images, of which 7% (n = 14) were of carnivores, 70% (n = 155) were of non-carnivore mammals, and 9% (n = 22) were of birds. River otters were detected at 1 of the 6 latrines, a total of 5 independent times during the study.

scholarly journals A Comparison of Fire Regimes and Stand Dynamics in Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) Communities in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

2003 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 123-128
Author(s):  
William Romme ◽  
James Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Grizzly Bear ◽  
Pinus Albicaulis ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
Greater Yellowstone

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is a keystone species of upper subalpine ecosystems (Tomback et al. 2001), and is especially important in the high-elevation ecosystems of the northern Rocky Mountains (Arno and Hoff 1989). Its seeds are an essential food source for the endangered grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), particularly in the autumn, prior to winter denning (Mattson and Jonkel 1990, Mattson and Reinhart 1990, Mattson et al. 1992). In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), biologists have concluded that the fate of grizzlies is intrinsically linked to the health of the whitebark pine communities found in and around Yellowstone National Park (YNP) (Mattson and Merrill 2002). Over the past century, however, whitebark pine has severely declined throughout much of its range as a result of an introduced fungus, white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) (Hoff and Hagle 1990, Smith and Hoffman 2000, McDonald and Hoff 2001), native pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) infestations (Bartos and Gibson 1990, Kendall and Keane 2001), and, perhaps in some locations, successional replacement related to fire exclusion and fire suppression (Amo 2001). The most common historical whitebark pine ftre regimes are "stand-replacement", and "mixed­ severity" regimes (Morgan et al. 1994, Arno 2000, Arno and Allison-Bunnell2002). In the GYE, mixed-severity ftre regimes have been documented in whitebark pine forests in the Shoshone National forest NW of Cody, WY (Morgan and Bunting 1990), and in NE Yellowstone National Park (Barrett 1994). In Western Montana and Idaho, mixed fire regimes have been documented in whitebark pine communities in the Bob Marshall Wilderness (Keane et al. 1994), Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness (Brown et al. 1994), and the West Bighole Range (Murray et al.1998). Mattson and Reinhart (1990) found a stand­replacing fire regime on the Mount Washburn Massif, within Yellowstone National Park.

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