Black Bear corridor could close the ONF

Hi Folks:

I know this thread was on here before - below is what the corridor is all about. I left out all the details of the testing. If this goes through I can guarantee the trails on the ONF will be closed, not only to us but everyone, hunters, etc..

This is important that we don't let this go.. This was taken form a study that I have in PDF format, if you would like a copy email me, I'll attach a copy. This is where it began we are now in year 2, the black bear scenic by way is ready to go national, if that happens we will lose our forest. Unless we stand together on this issue, if we don't unite we will lose our land..

156 Evaluating a Regional Black Bear Corridor Dixon et al.

Introduction

Reversing the effects of habitat fragmentation is a wildlife conservation priority. Landscape linkages or corridors have been suggested to connect
disjunct populations and mitigate the negative effects of habitat fragmentation (Harris 1984; Noss & Harris 1986).

Corridors can increase movement of organisms among habitat patches (Hass 1995; Haddad 1999; increase recolonization potential, provide additional habitat and facilitate plant and animal interactions. Corridors may also enhance survival of
individuals, gene flow, and population viability.

Large carnivores are highly susceptible to the effects of habitat fragmentation because of low population densities, wide-ranging movements, and the potential for conflicts with humans (Noss et al. 1996; Crooks 2002). Many populations of large carnivores currently exist within fragmented habitats, encompassing areas much too small to support long-term population viability. Additionally, the long-distance movements of large carnivores suggest they are more likely to use corridors for movements than species with limited dispersal capabilities . The effectiveness of corridors for large carnivores, however, has not been tested on a regional scale.

Testing the effectiveness of regional corridors for carnivores is a challenge because long-distance dispersal is rare, and there is no guarantee that the sample of radio-tagged animals will contain dispersers. Moreover, the movement of animals from one population to another does not indicate effective dispersal in the context of population genetics. Genetic data are better suited to detect effective dispersal. The use of relatively inexpensive, noninvasive sampling techniques such as hair snares and genetic analyses provide data necessary for evaluating the functionality of corridors by elucidating genetic structure and dispersal of individual animals. Recent advances in genetic analyses and statistical techniques, namely population-assignment tests, have made it possible to identify the origin of animals by assigning them to a population based on their multilocus genotypes. These techniques can identify dispersal patterns and otherwise cryptic metapopulation boundaries, which may indicate breaks in gene flow across populations or the reconnection of once isolated populations. Additionally, some assignment tests have the potential to detect not only immigrants into a population but also their offspring, which enables researchers to directly detect and monitor gene flow (Rannala & Mountain 1997; Pritchard et al.
2000).

Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Osceola-Ocala corridor for the Florida black bear. We used noninvasive sampling to obtain genetic material from bears within the Osceola-Ocala corridor and from the Osceola and Ocala populations. Population assignment tests were used to assign individuals sampled from the corridor to a population of origin (Ocala or Osceola)based on their multilocus genotypes. These techniques allowed us to characterize the dispersal of bears from the source populations and identify gaps in connectivity
within the Osceola-Ocala corridor.

Dixon et al.

Study Area

This study was conducted in Ocala National Forest (Ocala), Osceola National Forest (Osceola), and the patchwork of land between the two (Osceola-Ocala corridor). Ocala encompasses approximately 1650 km2 of habitat (Cox et al. 1994). Vegetation is dominated by sand pine forest and xeric oak scrub (Myers & Ewel 1991). Ocala harbors one of the largest populations of the Florida
black bear (McCown et al. 2004), and its bear population has not been hunted since 1971 (Wooding 1993).

Bordered to the south by an interstate highway (I-10), Osceola National Forest encompasses 638 km2 of habitat (Cox et al. 1994). The habitat of Osceola consists of pine flatwoods and hydric hammock interspersed with bay swamp, shrub bog, and mixed hardwood swamp (Myers & Ewel 1991). The Osceola black bear population is contiguous with the Okefenokee population in Georgia and represents one of the largest populations of the Florida black bear (Maehr et al. 2001). The Osceola bear population was last hunted in 1993 (Wooding 1993).

Area proposed as a regional corridor between Ocala National Forest and Osceola National Forest. Primary black bear habitats are those with documented presence of breeding females. Secondary habitats are those with documented bear sightings but no evidence of presence of breeding females (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, unpublished data).

Evaluating a Regional Black Bear Corridor 157

The Osceola-Ocala corridor is a patchwork of public and private lands within a matrix of roads and development between the Ocala National Forest and the Osceola National Forest (Fig. 1). The corridor is approximately 30 km wide and 90 km long. The narrowest part of the corridor is located north of the city of Starke, near industrial mining operations. Vegetation consists of flatwoods,
pine plantations, forested wetlands, riparian hammocks,and scrub covering 80 km2 of potential black bear habitat (Maehr et al. 2001).

Conservation Implications

Our results suggest that the Ocala and Osceola black bear populations were recently reconnected, primarily through unidirectional movement of bears from Ocala to Osceola and that some of the dispersers may have successfully reproduced. We speculate that the predominantly unidirectional dispersal of bears from Ocala to Osceola may be a result of a relatively high density of bears in Ocala, but factors such as the filtering effect of high-speed highways might contribute to it (FWC, unpublished data). Moreover, presence of bears throughout the Osceola- Ocala corridor (including females) provides evidence that at least some of the bears were corridor residents. Based on these results, we conclude that the Osceola-Ocala corridor is functional and provides genetic and demographic connectivity between Ocala and Osceola black bear populations. The connection of the Osceola and Ocala populations allows gene flow between these populations through male-biased dispersal, which maintains metapopulation structure, and may increase population viability.
However, increasing development pressure near this regional corridor may thwart functional connectivity of these populations if the habitat within the corridor is not protected.

Maintaining or restoring demographic and genetic connectivity among populations may require multiple strategies, including encouraging recolonization of the corridor by maintaining high densities in the source populations, minimizing habitat loss and fragmentation, and managing for high-quality habitat. Sufficient habitat for recolonization, however, would require easements, purchasing conservation lands, fostering agreements with private
landowners, and reducing human activity (Beier 1995; Duke et al. 2001). Providing connectivity may also require retrofitting highways to allow safe passage for bears (Foster & Humphrey 1995; Larkin et al. 2004).

Given the rapid pace of development in the southeastern United States, fragmentation of remaining wildlife habitat is likely to continue. The reconnection of wildlife populations with corridors may be the best option for mitigating the adverse impacts of habitat fragmentation on the black
bear and other wildlife species.