YELLOWSTONE ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH CENTER

COYOTE FISHING photo courtesy of Pat Leeson

Coyotes on the Northern Range
YERC

Coyotes on the northern range of Yellowstone National Park--
Field technician positions (3)
 with a long-term, ecological study of coyotes on the Northern Range of Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone Ecological Research Center

May 15, 2008- August 1, 2008 (2.5 months,  2  positions)
May 30, 2008- August 15, 2008 (2.5 months, 1 position)

Project Description: The long-term study of coyotes focuses on spatial distribution and ecological relationships with prey and sympatric carnivores, as disclosed by both field observation and radio-telemetry protocols.

Position Description: Successful applicants will have a strong work ethic, with a high degree of initiative, and substantial experience in  remote field conditions. The protocols include a broad variety of elements, with 90% of the job requiring sustained physical work in remote and demanding field settings. Working schedule of 6 days on/1 day off, followed by 5.5 days on/ 1.5 days off. 

 Background Required: B.S. or B.A. degree in biology, zoology, wildlife, or similar background is required. Applicants must be experienced and highly competent in back-country settings, demonstrate a high degree of initiative and motivation, and be enthusiastic about executing a rigorous and demanding field protocol. The majority of time will be spent in the field, but duties also include data management. Housing is in a remote setting, with very basic shared bunkroom accommodations.  Experience with radio-telemetry is highly desirable.

Compensation: Stipend of $600/month (pro-rated for partial months) with housing provided.

To Apply: Send resume, contact information for three references, and cover letter expressing interest via email to:

contact:
J. W. Sheldon, Field Crew Coordinator
Yellowstone Ecological Research Center
2048 Analysis Drive, Suite B
Bozeman, MT 59718
(406) 556-1414
sheldon@yellowstoneresearch.org

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CANID ECOLOGY PROJECT SUGGESTED READINGS

Bibliography: Publications, Theses, Book sections, and Proceedings
Canid Ecology Project, Yellowstone Ecological Research Center, Bozeman, MT
January 2008

  • Allen, J. J., M. Bekoff, and R. L. Crabtree. 1999. An observational study of coyote (Canis latrans) scent-marking and territoriality in Yellowstone National Park. Ethology 105:289-302.
  • Crabtree, R. L. 1993. Gray Ghost of the Beartooth: on the taxonomic trail of the mountain fox. Yellowstone Science 1:13-16.
  • Crabtree, R. L. 1997. A New Forest Carnivore: Yellowstone's Mountain Fox. National Wildlife 35.
  • Crabtree, R. L., and J. W. Sheldon. 1996. Summary of the interactions of gray wolves and coyotes on Yellowstone's northern range. Special Report to Yellowstone National Park, Mammoth, WY.
  • Crabtree, R. L., and J. W. Sheldon. 1999. Coyotes and canid coexistence in Yellowstone. Pages 126-163 in T. W. Clark, A. P. Curlee, S. C. Minta, and P. M. Karieva, editors. Carnivores in Ecosystems: the Yellowstone Experience. Yale University Press, New Haven.
  • Crabtree, R. L., and J. W. Sheldon. 1999. The ecological role of coyotes on Yellowstone's northern range. Yellowstone Science 7:15-23.
  • Crabtree, R. L., and J. W. Sheldon. 2006. Introduction to the new Bison Books Edition. Pages v-viii in The Voice of the Coyote by J. Frank Dobie. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln.
  • Crabtree, R. L., and J. D. Varley. 1995. The ecological and sociodemographic role of the coyote on Yellowstone's northern range. Pages 63-84 in Greater Yellowstone Predators: Ecology and Conservation in a Changing Landscape. Proceedings of the Third Biennial Conference on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA.
  • Fuhrmann, R. T. 1998. Distribution, morphology, and habitat use of red fox in the northern Yellowstone ecosystem. Montana State University, Bozeman, MT.
  • Gese, E.-M. 2001. Territorial defense by coyotes (Canis latrans) in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: Who, how, where, when, and why. Canadian Journal of Zoology.
  • Gese, E. M. 1995. Foraging ecology of coyotes in Yellowstone National Park. University of Wisconson, Madison, WI.
  • Gese, E. M. 1998. Response of neighboring coyotes (Canis latrans) to social disruption in an adjacent pack. Canadian Journal of Zoology 76:1960-1963.
  • Gese, E. M. 1999. Threat of predation: Do ungulates behave aggressively towards different members of a coyote pack? Canadian Journal of Zoology 77:499-503.
  • Gese, E. M., and S. Grothe. 1995. Analysis of coyote predation on deer and elk during winter in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. American Midland Naturalist 133:36-43.
  • Gese, E. M., and R. L. Ruff. 1997. Scent-marking by coyotes, Canis latrans: The influence of social and ecological factors. Animal Behaviour 54:1155-1166.
  • Gese, E. M., and R. L. Ruff. 1998. Howling by coyotes (Canis latrans): Variation among social classes, seasons, and pack sizes. Canadian Journal of Zoology 76:1037-1043.
  • Gese, E. M., R. L. Ruff, and R. L. Crabtree. 1996. Foraging ecology of coyotes (Canis latrans): The influence of extrinsic factors and a dominance hierarchy. Canadian Journal of Zoology 74:769-783.
  • Gese, E. M., R. L. Ruff, and R. L. Crabtree. 1996. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing coyote predation of small mammals in Yellowstone National Park. Canadian Journal of Zoology 74:784-797.
  • Gese, E. M., R. L. Ruff, and R. L. Crabtree. 1996. Social and nutritional factors influencing the dispersal of resident coyotes. Animal Behaviour 52:1025-1043.
  • Gese, E. M., R. D. Schultz, M. R. Johnson, E. S. Williams, R. L. Crabtree, and R. L. Raff. 1997. Serological survey for diseases in free-ranging coyotes (Canis latrans) in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 33:47-56.
  • Gese, E. M., T. E. Stotts, and S. Grothe. 1996. Interactions between coyotes and red foxes in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Journal of Mammalogy 77:377-382.
  • Hatier, K. G. 1995. Effects of helping behaviors on coyote packs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Montana State University, Bozeman, MT.
  • Johnson, M. R., and R. L. Crabtree. 1999. Small prey of carnivores in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Pages 239-263 in T. W. Clark, A. P. Curlee, S. C. Minta, and P. M. Karieva, editors. Carnivores in Ecosystems: the Yellowstone Experience. Yale University Press, , New Haven, CT.
  • Milstein, M. 1991. Yellowstone's top dog. National Parks 65:24-29.
  • Moorcroft, P., M. A. Lewis, and R. L. Crabtree. 1999. Home Range Analysis Using a Mechanistic Home Range Model. Ecology 80:1656-1665.
  • Moorcroft, P. R. and M. A. Lewis. 2006. Mechanistic Home Range Analysis. Princeton Monographs in Population Biology, Princeton University Press. Princeton, NJ. 305pp.
  • Moorcroft, P. R. 1997. Territoriality and carnivore home ranges. PhD Dissertation. Princeton University, Princeton, NJ.
  • Moorcroft, P. R., M. A. Lewis, and R. L. Crabtree. 2006. Mechanistic home range models capture spatial patterns and dynamics of coyote territories in Yellowstone. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 273:1651-1659.
  • Swanson, B. J., R. T. Fuhrmann, and R. L. Crabtree. 2005. Elevational isolation of red fox populations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Conservation Genetics 6:123-131.
  • Switalski, T. A. 2003. Coyote foraging ecology and vigilance in response to gray wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park. Canadian Journal of Zoology-Revue Canadienne De Zoologie 81:985-993.
  • Van Etten, K. W. 2006. Habitat selection by red fox in Yellowstone National Park and mechanisms of coexistence with coyotes. M.S. Thesis. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
  • Van Etten, K. W., K. R. Wilson, and R. L. Crabtree. 2007. Habitat use of red foxes in Yellowstone National Park based on snow tracking and telemetry. Journal of Mammalogy 88:1498-1507.
  • Wilmers, C. C., R. L. Crabtree, D. W. Smith, K. M. Murphy, and W. M. Getz. 2003. Trophic facilitation by introduced top predators: grey wolf subsidies to scavengers in Yellowstone National Park. Journal of Animal Ecology 72:909-916.
  • Wilmers, C. C., D. R. Stahler, R. L. Crabtree, D. W. Smith, and W. M. Getz. 2003. Resource dispersion and consumer dominance: scavenging at wolf- and hunter-killed carcasses in Greater Yellowstone, USA. Ecology Letters 6: 996–1003.

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