Presenter: Emily Bonebrake
Authors: Emily Bonebrake, Courtney Check, Tal Avgar
Faculty Advisor: Tal Avgar
Institution: Utah State University
Estimating wildlife population density is an important aspect of effective wildlife management. Due to their cost-effectiveness, wildlife cameras have become an increasingly popular tool for estimating wildlife densities. However, one application of wildlife cameras that needs more study is estimating densities of unmarked animals, meaning animals that cannot be individually identified. Previous studies using this method have compared results to inference obtained via spatially explicit mark-recapture models or to known human densities, but none have been compared to known animal densities. In this study, we will set out to determine the density of cattle in Spanish Fork, UT, using the random encounter and staying time model, and compare the results to a known count of cattle obtained from local ranchers. Further, we will quantify the effects of various environmental covariates in driving the distribution of cattle across space and time, which can help land managers and ranchers make more informed decisions about livestock management.