Sublette mule deer study (Phase II): long-term monitoring plan to assess potential impacts of energy development on mule deer in the Pinedale Anticline Project Area : 2003 annual report

52 Pages·2003·12.2 MB·English

by  Sawyer, Hall

BLMLIBRARY
88055768
2003Annual Report
SUBLETTE MULEDEERSTUDY(PHASE
II):
Long-termmonitoringplantoassesspotential
impactsofenergydevelopmentonmuledeer
inthePinedaleAnticlineProjectArea.
Preparedfor:
QuestarExplorationandProductionCompany
IndependencePlaza
105017thSt.,Suite500
Denver,CO80265
TRCMariahAssociates,Inc.
605SkylineRoad
Laramie,WY82070
BureauofLandManagement
PinedaleFieldOffice
432E.MillStreet
POBox768
Pinedale,WY82941
WyomingGameandFishDepartment
PinedaleRegionalOffice
POBox850
Pinedale,WY82941
Preparedby:
HallSawyer
RyanNeilson
DaleStrickland
WesternEcoSystemsTechnology,Inc.
2003CentralAvenue
Cheyenne,WY82001
qL November2003
• 737
.U55
S399
2003
2003AnnualReport WEST,Inc.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Phase II ofthe Sublette Mule DeerStudy has been a cooperative effortamong agencies,
industry,andprivateorganizations. ThisprojectwaslargelyfundedbyQuestarExplorationand
ProductionCompany(QEP). ThePinedaleFieldOfficeoftheBureauofLand Management
(BLM)andtheWildlifeHeritageFoundationofWyoming(WHFW)providedadditionalfunding.
TheJackson/PinedaleRegionoftheWyomingGameandFishDepartment(WGFD)provided
logisticalsupport, projectassistance,andwasresponsibleforportionsofthedatacollection.
ManythankstoRonHogan(QEP),JaneSeiler(QEP), KeithAndrews(BLM),KarenRogers
(BLM),PeteGuernsey(TRC),ScottSmith(WGFD),HerbHaley(WGFD),BernieHolz(WGFD),
ScottEdberg(WGFD),ScottWerbelow(WGFD),DanStroud(WGFD),DeanClause(WGFD),
FredLindzey(UW),Hawkins&PowersAviation,andGaryLust(MountainAir). ThankstoJohn
AmosandSkyTruthforsatelliteimageryandimageprocessing.
TABLEOFCONTENTS
Page
1.0 OVERVIEW.. 1
2.0 SUBLETTEMULEDEERSTUDY(PHASEII) 3
2.1 BACKGROUND 3
2.2 METHODS 7
2.2.1 DeerCapture 7
2.2.2 WinterMovementandDistributionPatterns 7
2.2.3 PopulationCharacteristics 7
2.2.3.1 AbundanceandDensityEstimates... 7
2.2.3.2 Reproduction 8
2.2.3.3 Over-winterfawnsurvival 8
2.2.3.4 Adultwintersurvival..... 8
2.2.4 ResourceSelection 8
2.3 RESULTS 9
2.3.1 DeerCapture 9
2.3.2 GPSDataCollection 9
2.3.3 WinterMovementandDistributionPatterns 10
2.3.4 PopulationCharacteristics 18
2.3.4.1 AbundanceandDensityEstimates 18
2.3.4.2 Reproduction 19
2.3.4.3 Over-winterfawnsurvival 20
2.3.4.4 Adultwintersurvival 21
2.3.4.5 WyomingGameandFishDepartmentJob
CompletionReport 21
2.3.5 ResourceSelection 21
2.4 DISCUSSIONANDFUTUREDIRECTION 22
2.5 PROJECTTIMELINE 24
3.0 LITERATURECITED 25
APPENDIXA: EquationsUsedtoCalculateAbundanceandDensity
Estimates 27
APPENDIXB: WyomingGameandFishDepartmentJobCompletionReport
FortheSubletteMuleDeerDAU,2002 28
2003AnnualReport WEST,Inc. &
LISTOFTABLES
Page
Table2.1 Summarystatisticsforabundanceanddensityestimatesin
treatmentandcontrolareas,February2002and2003 18
Table2.2 Muledeerpopulationcharacteristicsmeasuredfortreatment
andcontrolareasbyWyomingGameandFishDepartment,
1992-2003 20
%%7
Table2.3 Muledeercountdataandcalculationsforover-winterfawn
survivalinthecontrol(PFWRC),1999-2003 20
Table2.4 Muledeercountdataandcalculationsforover-winterfawn
survivalinthetreatment(MWRC),1999-2003. 20
Table2.5 Wintersurvivalratesandsummarystatisticsforadultfemale
deerintreatmentandcontrolareas 21
LISTOFFIGURES
Page
Figure1.1 LocationofPinedaleAnticlineProjectAreainwesternWyoming
(Fig.1fromBLM2000) 2
Figure2.1 LocationoftheSubletteMuleDeerDataAnalysisUnit,Wyoming
GameandFishDepartmentHuntAreas,andtheMesaand
PinedaleFrontWinterRangeComplexes. 4
Figure2.2 GPSlocationsofdeer#861inthePinedaleAnticlineProject
Area(PAPA),December20,2002-April15,2003 12
Figure2.3 GPSlocationsofdeer#862inthePinedaleAnticlineProject
Area(PAPA),December20,2002-April15,2003... 12
Figure2.4 GPSlocationsofdeer#866inthePinedaleAnticlineProject
Area(PAPA),December20,2002-April15,2003 13
Figure2.5 GPSlocationsofdeer#867binthePinedaleAnticlineProject
Area(PAPA),December20,2002-April15,2003 ..13
Figure2.6 GPSlocationsofdeer#868inthePinedaleAnticlineProject
Area(PAPA),December20,2002-April15,2003 14
Figure2.7 GPSlocationsofdeer#869inthePinedaleAnticlineProject
Area(PAPA),December20,2002-April15,2003 14
Figure2.8 GPSlocationsofdeer#867binthePinedaleAnticlineProject
Area(PAPA),December20,2001-April15,2002(yellow)and
December20,2002-April15,2003(blue)........... 15
2003AnnualReport WEST,Inc.
LISTOFFIGURES(continued)
Page
Figure2,9 GPSlocationsofdeer#868inthePinedaleAnticlineProject
Area(PAPA),December20,2001-April15,2002(yellow)and
December20,2002-Aprili5,2003(blue).. 15
Figure2.10 GPiPnSedalloceaAtnitoincsloifnealPlrdoejeecrt(Anr=e6a)a(nPdAPlAa)n,dDoewnceermsbheirp2o0f,th2e002-
April15,2003 16
Figure2.11 GPSlocations(n=7,190)ofsixdeercapturedinthecontrolarea
alongthePinedaleFront,December20,2002-April15,2003... 17
Figure2.12 Locationofsamplingframesand1-mi2quadratsusedto
calculateabundanceanddensityestimatesforcontroland
treatmentareas 19
Figure2.13 Fawn:doeratiosfortreatmentandcontrolareas,1999-2003 20
Figure2.14 Estimatedover-winterfawnsurvivalintreatmentandcontrol
areas,1999-2003 20
LISTOFACRONYMS
BACI Before-AfterControl-Impact
BLM BureauofLandManagement
DAU DataAnalysisUnit
EIS EnvironmentalImpactStatement
GIS GeographicInformationSystem
GPS GlobalPositioningSystem
HA HuntArea
JCR JobCompletionReport
MWRC MesaWinterRangeComplex
NEPA NationalEnvironmentalPolicyAct
NGO Non-GovernmentOrganization
PAPA PinedaleAnticlineProjectArea
PFWRC PinedaleFrontWinterRangeComplex
QEP QuestarExplorationandProductionCompany
ROD RecordofDecision
TPB Trapper'sPointBottleneck
TRC TRCMariahAssociates,Inc.
UW UniversityofWyoming
VHF VeryHighFrequency
WGFD WyomingGameandFishDepartment
WHFW WildlifeHeritageFoundationofWyoming
IV
2003AnnualReport WEST,Inc.
1.0 OVERVIEW
In1998theWyomingCooperativeFishandWildlife ResearchUnitbeganacollaborativestudywith
industry, agencies, and private organizations to examine movement patterns and population
characteristicsoftheSublettemuledeer{Odocoileushemionus)herdinwesternWyoming(Sawyerand
Lindzey 2001). Although a variety of agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs)
contributedtothestudy,itwasfundedlargelybyindustry(UltraPetroleum). Concurrently,theBureau
ofLand Management (BLM), in compliance with the National Environmental PolicyAct (NEPA),
initiatedanEnvironmentalImpactStatement(EIS)toassessnaturalgasdevelopmentinthe300-mi2
PinedaleAnticlineProjectArea(PAPA)(BLM2000).ThePAPAislocatedinwest-centralWyomingin
SubletteCounty,nearthetownofPinedale(Figure1.1). ThePAPAischaracterizedbysagebrush
communitiesandriparianhabitatsassociatedwiththeGreenandNewForkRivers.Elevationsrange
from6,800to7,800ft. The PAPAconsistsprimarilyoffederal lands(80%)and minerals(83%)
a(ag4dr6mi.ic7nuilmstitu2er)ereiasdnpdbryipvtarhtoeev.iBdALesMsi.dweiTnhfteerrosmrtaattnhegeeoaffboWuryn4od,am0ni0tn0-ge6n,oe0wr0ng0ysm5ruel%seo(ud1re5ce.er2s,,m2it,2h0)e0o0fP-At3h,Pe0A0s0uirspfraaoncenigamhnpoodmrtaa{nnAonttthiaelrroeca1ap5fro%ar
americana),and3,000-4,000sagegrouse(Centrocercusurophasianus). Whiletheprojectareais
fairlylarge, mostdeeroccurinthenorthern portionofthe PAPA,anarea locallyknownas"The
Mesa",whichincludesapproximately100-mi2.
TheSubletteMuleDeerStudywasoriginallydesignedtohavetwophases. Thefirstphaseofthestudy
wasintendedtogatherinformationneededbyagenciestoimprovemanagementoftheSublettedeer
herd,includingtheidentificationofimportantseasonalranges,determinationofmigrationroutes,and
estimationofsurvivalrates(SawyerandLindzey2001).Additionally,thesedatawerecollectedsothat
pre-developmentinformationonthemuledeerpopulationwouldbeavailableifPhaseIIofthestudy
materialized. PhaseIIwasenvisionedasalong-termstudythatwouldexaminethepotentialimpactsof
energydevelopmentonmuledeer,usingtreatmentandcontrolareas,withenergydevelopmentasthe
treatment.
((P=Shaa5wsyyeeearIrwesat)sals.ct2uo0dm0yp2lt)eh,taetPdheaxinsaemMiaIInrwecashstohfine2it0pi0oat1teedn(tiSinaalDweyiecmrepamacbntedsrLooiffnod2iz0le0ay2n.2d0P0gh1aa)ssaednedIvI,eiflsooilpnlmotweeinnndtgedoant1o-thybeeearPaApliPolonAtg-smttueulrdemy
dale.e2r00po1p)ulsattuidoyn.desPihganstehaItIupsreospotsheesPaAPBeAfoarse-aAfttreera/tCmoennttroalr-eIampaancdta(BpAoCrIt)ion(Gorfetehne1P9i7n9e,daMloerFrriosnotnaest
thecontrolarea. Muledeerpopulationcharacteristics(survival,reproduction,density)andhabitatuse
inrelationtodevelopmentfeatureswillbemeasuredinbothareas,andovertime,performanceof
muledeerinthePAPAwillbecomparedtothoseinthecontrolarea.Thisreportsummarizesthe
resultsfromthe2003studyperiod.
2003AnnualReport WEST,Inc.
Figure!
GeneralLoccrtfert
ofthe
FbedaleAnticlineProjectArea
PisedseAniicii-®Eru'lffifinsefttoJifnpaerStolemcut
2fi.vttes
Figure1.1 LocationofPinedaleAnticlineProjectAreainwesternWyoming(Fig.1fromBLM2000).
2003AnnualReport WEST,Inc.
2.0 SUBLETTEMULEDEERSTUDY
2.1 BACKGROUND
WesternWyoming ishometothelargest, mostdiverseungulatepopulationsintheRockyMountain
region. Maintenanceofthesepopulationsandprotectionoftheirhabitatsareprimaryconcernsamong
publicand private sectors. Because oftheirlarge numbers and economic importance, muledeer
continuetobeatoppriorityfortheWyomingGameandFishDepartment(WGFD). TheSublettemule
deerdata analysis unit(DAU) includes 15 huntareas(HA) (130, 138-142, 146, 150-156, and 162)
(Figure2.1)andhasapost-seasonpopulationobjectiveof32,000(WGFD2000). Studyresultsfrom
PpohratsioensIoifndtihceatSeadlttRhiavterdeRearngfer,omWythoemiSnugbleRtatnegeD,AWUinsdeaRsiovnearllRyanmgieg,raGtero6s0V-e1n0t0remiRlaensgeto,sanudmmSenrakien
RiverRange. During bothspring andfall migrations, deerspentlengthyperiodsoftime, often4-5
monthsoutoftheyear,onmid-elevationtransitionrangesthatconnectsummerandwinteringareas.
DeerannuallyconvergedintheGreenRiverBasintowinteroneoftwomajorwinteringcomplexes;the
MesaWinterRangeComplex(MWRC)andthePinedaleFrontWinterRangeComplex(PFWRC)(Figure
2.1). Generally,theMWRCincludesthePAPAandthoseareaswestofUS191,whilethePFWRC
includesthoseareaseastofUS191tothebaseoftheWindRiverMountains.
Populationparametersmeasuredduringthe3-yearstudy(1998-2000)suggestedtheSublettedeerherd
wasperformingwell. Annualsurvivalratesofradio-collaredadultfemales(n=149)averaged85%and
wereconsistentwithpopulationsstudiedinotherwesternstates(Unsworthetal.1999). Fawn:doeratios,
anindicatorofreproductivesuccess,wereamongthehighestinthestate,averaging>75fawnsper100
doesforthestudyperiodandapproximately70fawnsper100doesoverthelastdecade(WGFD2000).
While the Sublette deer herd has been very productive in the past and knowledge of seasonal
movements,migrationroutes,andsurvivalrateshasimprovedmanagement,thisdeerherdissimilarto
othersinthathabitatloss,urbanexpansion,disease,andchangesinvegetationcontinuetocreatemajor
managementconcerns. ExtensiveenergydevelopmentintheGreenRiverBasinisthoughttoposeone
ofthemostseriousthreatstomuledeerpopulationsintheregion.
NaturalgasproductioninWyominghassteadilyincreasedsincethemid-1980's,particularlyinthefive
counties that form the southwest quarter of the state: Sublette, Fremont, Lincoln, Uinta, and
Sweetwater.Thisareaofthestatecontainssomeofthelargestandmostproductivegasfieldsinthe
nation, including the Jonah, Continental Divide/Wamsutter, Fontenelle, Big Piney-LaBarge, Moxa
Arch,RileyRidge,andthePinedaleAnticline. WhilecoalbedmethanedevelopmentinthePowder
River Basin has received much attention as of late, Sublette County continues to produce
approximately2.5times moregasthan Campbell County. SubletteCounty isthestate's largest
producerandaccountsfor>30%ofallWyominggasproduction(BLM2002). Becauseofrenewed
political and economicsupportfordeveloping domesticenergy reserves, natural gas exploration,
development,andproductionareatanalltimehighinWyomingandexpectedonlytoincrease. In
July of2000, the BLM approved thedevelopmentof700 producing well pads inthe PAPAand
recognizedthatthismayrequireasmanyas900wellpadstobeconstructedanddrilled(BLM2000).
Additionally,401milesofpipelineand276milesofaccessroadswereapprovedfordevelopment.

2003AnnualReport WEST,Inc.
LocationofSubletteMuleDeerDataAnalysis
Unit(DAU)inWyoming HuntAreasinSubletteDAU
BReiadv9eer } I CBuotrtae\i\WI FrLeamkoerv
Figure2.1 LocationoftheSubletteMuleDeerDataAnalysisUnit,WyomingGameandFish
DepartmentHuntAreas,andtheMesaandPinedaleFrontWinterRangeComplexes.
Becausethe PAPAencompasses mostofthe MWRC, which is used bythousands ofmuledeer,
pronghorn,andsagegrouse,developmentofthisareamayhaveadverseimpactsonwildlife. Impactsto
wildlifespeciesmaybedefinedasthechangeinapopulation'sreproductionand/orsurvivalcausedby
some disturbance (Anderson 1999). Determining the impact(s) ofenergy developmenton wildlife
populationsisbestdeterminedthroughlong-termstudieswherepre-developmentdata,suchas,survival
•