AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Oregon Mule Deer Ochoco Migration Corridors

The Ochoco mule deer herd has overlapping migration corridors and summer ranges, but can be separated into three general subherds based on winter range locations. During spring, mule deer in the northern subherd use winter ranges north of the Maury Mountains, near Crooked River and the Ochoco Reservoir, and either migrate farther north to the Ochoco Mountains and Laughlin Table or east, past Twelvemile Table to the foothills of Snow Mountain. Mule deer in the middle subherd winter south of the Maury Mountains and have ranges near Bear Creek, Smoky Butte, and South Fork Crooked River. Some of the middle subherd, like the northern subherd, travel east to the base of Snow Mountain, Green Butte, and Juniper Ridge. Others migrate south to Sears Canyon, the Paulina Mountains, and the Oregon High Desert. Mule deer in the southern subherd have winter ranges adjacent to U.S. Highway 20 and migrate south to summer ranges along the Glass Buttes and the edge of the High Desert region. Habitats are similar across the Ochoco herd management unit where big sagebrush and mountain big sagebrush give way to encroaching western juniper followed by stands of ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, and other mixed-conifer species as elevations increase. However, winter and residential ranges for the southern subherd feature more low sagebrush and agriculture and the summer ranges are less forested than the other two subherds. 
The Ochoco mule deer herd faces several challenges, including extreme to exceptional droughts that can force mule deer to compete with feral horses for water and high-quality browse. Home ranges and high-use migration corridors overlap the Liggett Table HMA and Big Summit Wild Horse Territory, which contain estimates of 170 and 130 feral horses, respectively—far more than the maximum AMLs of 25 and 57 horses (BLM, 2023b; K. Kern, U.S. Forest Service, written commun., 2023). The Ochoco herd also inhabits the Maury and Ochoco WMUs, which were included in the five-year Mule Deer Initiatives for 2010 and 2015, respectively, to improve conditions for mule deer, primarily through habitat restoration (ODFW 2015, 2020). Since improvement efforts started in 2010, ODFW, BLM, and NRCS SGI have worked together to remove 150,931 acres (61,079 ha) of western juniper and treat 5,912 acres (2,392 ha) with prescribed burns. Additionally, they completed 26 water development projects and constructed 24.28 mi (39.08 km) of wildlife-friendly fencing to protect riparian areas for mule deer fawning habitat and improve cattle distributions.
These mapping layers show the location of the migration corridors for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Ochoco population in Oregon. They were developed from 154 migration sequences collected from a sample size of 57 animals comprising GPS locations collected every 3-13 hours.

Tags: animal-behavior, biota, migration-organisms, migratory-species, oregon, prineville, united-states, usgs-67917967d34ea6a4002bfae8
Organization: Department of the Interior
Oregon Mule Deer Steens Mountain Migration Corridors

The Steens Mountain mule deer herd contains an estimated 3,710 individuals (ODFW 2023). Most GPS-collared mule deer are either nonmigratory or use an elevational migration route along the Steens Mountain fault block. Winter ranges for the Steens Mountain mule deer herd surround Steens Mountain at lower elevations. These winter range habitats are diverse, primarily consisting of sagebrush and early shrub-tree habitat with encroaching western juniper and previously burned, native, and invasive annual grasslands. Migratory mule deer summer at higher elevations on Steens Mountain in habitats featuring quaking aspen, mountain big sagebrush, mountain shrub, early shrub-tree, western juniper, and post-fire native grassland communities. Mule deer can compete with feral horses during drought years because seasonal ranges and migration corridors overlap four HMAs. The combined Kiger, Riddle Mountain, and Sheepshead-Heath Creek HMAs encompass more than 265,000 acres (107,000 ha) and respectively contain 183 horses, 165 horses, and 224 horses in comparison to the maximum AMLs of 82 horses, 56 horses, and 302 horses (BLM, 2023b). To the south, the 280,715-acre (113,601-ha) South Steens HMA contains 606 horses, nearly double the maximum AML of 304 feral horses. To help improve mule deer populations, the Steens Mountain WMU, which incorporates most of the Steens Mountain mule deer herd, was included in the 2015 Mule Deer Initiative (ODFW, 2020). Since 2015, ODFW, BLM, and NRCS SGI have removed 4,897 acres (1,982 ha) of western juniper and reseeded 35,121 acres (14,213 ha) for native shrubs and grasses along with completing other habitat enhancement projects. The 170,200-acre (68,877-ha) Steens Mountain Wilderness in the central and eastern portion of the herd’s range is also closed to motorized vehicles and cattle grazing throughout the year.
These mapping layers show the location of the migration corridors for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Steens Mountain population in Oregon. They were developed from 30 migration sequences collected from a sample size of 7 animals comprising GPS locations collected every 5-13 hours.

Tags: animal-behavior, biota, frenchglen, migration-organisms, migratory-species, oregon, united-states, usgs-679179bed34ea6a4002bfaef
Organization: Department of the Interior
Oregon Mule Deer Steens Mountain Stopovers

The Steens Mountain mule deer herd contains an estimated 3,710 individuals (ODFW 2023). Most GPS-collared mule deer are either nonmigratory or use an elevational migration route along the Steens Mountain fault block. Winter ranges for the Steens Mountain mule deer herd surround Steens Mountain at lower elevations. These winter range habitats are diverse, primarily consisting of sagebrush and early shrub-tree habitat with encroaching western juniper and previously burned, native, and invasive annual grasslands. Migratory mule deer summer at higher elevations on Steens Mountain in habitats featuring quaking aspen, mountain big sagebrush, mountain shrub, early shrub-tree, western juniper, and post-fire native grassland communities. Mule deer can compete with feral horses during drought years because seasonal ranges and migration corridors overlap four HMAs. The combined Kiger, Riddle Mountain, and Sheepshead-Heath Creek HMAs encompass more than 265,000 acres (107,000 ha) and respectively contain 183 horses, 165 horses, and 224 horses in comparison to the maximum AMLs of 82 horses, 56 horses, and 302 horses (BLM, 2023b). To the south, the 280,715-acre (113,601-ha) South Steens HMA contains 606 horses, nearly double the maximum AML of 304 feral horses. To help improve mule deer populations, the Steens Mountain WMU, which incorporates most of the Steens Mountain mule deer herd, was included in the 2015 Mule Deer Initiative (ODFW, 2020). Since 2015, ODFW, BLM, and NRCS SGI have removed 4,897 acres (1,982 ha) of western juniper and reseeded 35,121 acres (14,213 ha) for native shrubs and grasses along with completing other habitat enhancement projects. The 170,200-acre (68,877-ha) Steens Mountain Wilderness in the central and eastern portion of the herd’s range is also closed to motorized vehicles and cattle grazing throughout the year.
These mapping layers show the location of the stopovers for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Steens Mountain population in Oregon. They were developed from 30 migration sequences collected from a sample size of 7 animals comprising GPS locations collected every 5-13 hours.

Tags: animal-behavior, biota, frenchglen, migration-organisms, migratory-species, oregon, united-states, usgs-679179c8d34ea6a4002bfaf2
Organization: Department of the Interior
Oregon Mule Deer Sumpter Stopovers

The Sumpter mule deer herd includes resident and migratory individuals. Mule deer wintering near Oregon Route 244 and La Grande, Oregon, migrate south to Wolf Creek, Glass Hill, and Elkhorn Ridge in spring. Although mixed-conifer forest and ponderosa pine dominate seasonal ranges for these mule deer, winter ranges contain more sagebrush grassland and summer ranges contain more riparian and early shrub-tree habitats. Other mule deer wintering in patches of big sagebrush mixed with conifer, ponderosa pine, western juniper, and quaking aspen forests near North Powder Valley and Powder River also migrate to Elkhorn Ridge for the summer. Some mule deer along Burnt River, where winter ranges are characterized by big sagebrush, western juniper, and grassland, migrate south to areas with more mixed-conifer forest and invasive annual grasses near Monument Rock and Willow Creek in spring. Other mule deer either migrate north or west to Austin, Oregon, and Oregon Route 7, where big sagebrush, mountain big sagebrush, mixed-conifer forest, and ponderosa pine are common. Some of these mule deer travel as far north as Elkhorn Ridge and Wolf Creek. In 2015, the Cornet-Windy fire burned 56,766 acres (22,972 ha) of forested summer range near Oregon Route 245 (BLM, 2023a), improving browse quality but potentially reducing shelter by decreasing canopy cover. Highways are a significant cause of mortality in this area; for example, Interstate 84 had an annual average of 162 DVCs from 2010 to 2022 along a 100-mile (161-km) section (ODOT, 2023). No GPS-collared mule deer successfully crossed Interstate 84 although multiple seasonal ranges and migrations closely bound the highway, indicating a possible loss of historical migration routes.
These mapping layers show the location of the stopovers for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Sumpter population in Oregon. They were developed from 154 migration sequences collected from a sample size of 53 animals comprising GPS locations collected every 5-13 hours.

Tags: animal-behavior, baker-city, biota, migration-organisms, migratory-species, oregon, united-states, usgs-67917a40d34ea6a4002bfaf9
Organization: Department of the Interior
Oregon Mule Deer Sumpter Winter Ranges

The Sumpter mule deer herd includes resident and migratory individuals. Mule deer wintering near Oregon Route 244 and La Grande, Oregon, migrate south to Wolf Creek, Glass Hill, and Elkhorn Ridge in spring. Although mixed-conifer forest and ponderosa pine dominate seasonal ranges for these mule deer, winter ranges contain more sagebrush grassland and summer ranges contain more riparian and early shrub-tree habitats. Other mule deer wintering in patches of big sagebrush mixed with conifer, ponderosa pine, western juniper, and quaking aspen forests near North Powder Valley and Powder River also migrate to Elkhorn Ridge for the summer. Some mule deer along Burnt River, where winter ranges are characterized by big sagebrush, western juniper, and grassland, migrate south to areas with more mixed-conifer forest and invasive annual grasses near Monument Rock and Willow Creek in spring. Other mule deer either migrate north or west to Austin, Oregon, and Oregon Route 7, where big sagebrush, mountain big sagebrush, mixed-conifer forest, and ponderosa pine are common. Some of these mule deer travel as far north as Elkhorn Ridge and Wolf Creek. In 2015, the Cornet-Windy fire burned 56,766 acres (22,972 ha) of forested summer range near Oregon Route 245 (BLM, 2023a), improving browse quality but potentially reducing shelter by decreasing canopy cover. Highways are a significant cause of mortality in this area; for example, Interstate 84 had an annual average of 162 DVCs from 2010 to 2022 along a 100-mile (161-km) section (ODOT, 2023). No GPS-collared mule deer successfully crossed Interstate 84 although multiple seasonal ranges and migrations closely bound the highway, indicating a possible loss of historical migration routes.
These mapping layers show the location of the winter ranges for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Sumpter population in Oregon. They were developed from 198 winter sequences collected from a sample size of 88 animals comprising GPS locations collected every 5-13 hours.

Tags: animal-behavior, baker-city, biota, migration-organisms, migratory-species, oregon, united-states, usgs-67917a56d34ea6a4002bfafd
Organization: Department of the Interior
Oregon Mule Deer Warner Migration Corridors

The Warner mule deer herd uses varying life history strategies corresponding with multiple migratory and nonmigratory tactics. Mule deer wintering near Warner Valley and Oregon Route 140 migrate west in spring to Bald Hills and higher elevations in the Warner Mountains, and nonmigratory deer reside along U.S. Highway 395. One GPS-collared mule deer migrated south from a winter range in Oregon to a summer range northwest of Mosquito Valley in northern Nevada. Habitats in this area vary widely. Winter and annual ranges largely consist of mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, A. tridentata wyomingensis (Wyoming sagebrush), low sagebrush, western juniper, and early shrub-tree habitats with patches of nonnative annual grasses. Summer ranges contain mixed-conifer forest or high desert sage-steppe habitats usually including western juniper, ponderosa pine, and quaking aspen with open sections of mixed sagebrush, wetlands, and early shrub-tree habitat. An individual mule deer wintering near Crump Lake in low sagebrush and Wyoming sagebrush-dominated habitats migrated north to a summer range on Hart Mountain characterized by mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, and quaking aspen. Other mule deer winter to the north, near Lake Abert, where low sagebrush and Wyoming sagebrush compete with nonnative grasses. These mule deer migrate south to the Warner Mountains in spring, overlapping other Warner mule deer on their summer ranges. One mule deer migrated almost 54 mi (86 km)—the longest migration within the herd— along the ridge of the Warner Mountains, passing through these summer ranges to reach Turpin Ridge.
The Warner mule deer herd faces several threats, including annual grass invasion and western juniper encroachment, as well as changing climate regimes that reduce forage quality and water availability. Predation, diseases such as epizootic hemorrhagic disease, and highways also contribute to mortality. Each year from 2010 to 2022, ODOT recorded on average 78.7 DVCs for a 30-mi (49-km) stretch of U.S. Highway 395, and an additional 10.7 DVCs for a 32-mi (51-km) section of Oregon Route 140 (ODOT, 2023). In 2010, the Mule Deer Initiative included the Warner WMU and since then, ODFW, BLM, and NRCS SGI have removed 49,940 acres (20,210 ha) of western juniper, treated 13,568 acres (5,491 ha) to eliminate invasive plants, and conducted prescribed burns on 13,002 acres (5,262 ha), along with other habitat improvement efforts (ODFW, 2015, 2020). The organizations also improved 7,018 acres (2,840 ha) of aspen stands by removing conifers, constructing fences to prevent livestock grazing, and using controlled burns to remove conifer slash.
These mapping layers show the location of the migration corridors for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Warner population in Oregon. They were developed from 47 migration sequences collected from a sample size of 17 animals comprising GPS locations collected every 5-13 hours.

Tags: animal-behavior, biota, lakeview, migration-organisms, migratory-species, oregon, united-states, usgs-67917a70d34ea6a4002bfaff
Organization: Department of the Interior
Oregon Mule Deer Warner Winter Ranges

The Warner mule deer herd uses varying life history strategies corresponding with multiple migratory and nonmigratory tactics. Mule deer wintering near Warner Valley and Oregon Route 140 migrate west in spring to Bald Hills and higher elevations in the Warner Mountains, and nonmigratory deer reside along U.S. Highway 395. One GPS-collared mule deer migrated south from a winter range in Oregon to a summer range northwest of Mosquito Valley in northern Nevada. Habitats in this area vary widely. Winter and annual ranges largely consist of mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, A. tridentata wyomingensis (Wyoming sagebrush), low sagebrush, western juniper, and early shrub-tree habitats with patches of nonnative annual grasses. Summer ranges contain mixed-conifer forest or high desert sage-steppe habitats usually including western juniper, ponderosa pine, and quaking aspen with open sections of mixed sagebrush, wetlands, and early shrub-tree habitat. An individual mule deer wintering near Crump Lake in low sagebrush and Wyoming sagebrush-dominated habitats migrated north to a summer range on Hart Mountain characterized by mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, and quaking aspen. Other mule deer winter to the north, near Lake Abert, where low sagebrush and Wyoming sagebrush compete with nonnative grasses. These mule deer migrate south to the Warner Mountains in spring, overlapping other Warner mule deer on their summer ranges. One mule deer migrated almost 54 mi (86 km)—the longest migration within the herd— along the ridge of the Warner Mountains, passing through these summer ranges to reach Turpin Ridge.
The Warner mule deer herd faces several threats, including annual grass invasion and western juniper encroachment, as well as changing climate regimes that reduce forage quality and water availability. Predation, diseases such as epizootic hemorrhagic disease, and highways also contribute to mortality. Each year from 2010 to 2022, ODOT recorded on average 78.7 DVCs for a 30-mi (49-km) stretch of U.S. Highway 395, and an additional 10.7 DVCs for a 32-mi (51-km) section of Oregon Route 140 (ODOT, 2023). In 2010, the Mule Deer Initiative included the Warner WMU and since then, ODFW, BLM, and NRCS SGI have removed 49,940 acres (20,210 ha) of western juniper, treated 13,568 acres (5,491 ha) to eliminate invasive plants, and conducted prescribed burns on 13,002 acres (5,262 ha), along with other habitat improvement efforts (ODFW, 2015, 2020). The organizations also improved 7,018 acres (2,840 ha) of aspen stands by removing conifers, constructing fences to prevent livestock grazing, and using controlled burns to remove conifer slash.
These mapping layers show the location of the winter ranges for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Warner population in Oregon. They were developed from 85 winter sequences collected from a sample size of 32 animals comprising GPS locations collected every 5-13 hours.

Tags: animal-behavior, biota, lakeview, migration-organisms, migratory-species, oregon, united-states, usgs-67917a93d34ea6a4002bfb04
Organization: Department of the Interior
Wyoming Mule Deer Lake De Smet Migration Routes

The Lake De Smet mule deer herd is one of three subgroups in the larger Powder River herd unit in north-central Wyoming, and they represent the only known migratory segment of the Powder River herd unit (Sawyer and Telander, 2023). Sixty-four percent of the GPS-collared Lake De Smet mule deer migrate 15–20 mi (24–32 km) seasonally from winter ranges to the southeast of U.S. Highway 16 to summer ranges in the rolling foothills to the north of Lake De Smet and Piney Creek (fig. 27). During their migration, these mule deer have to cross U.S. Highway 16, two Wyoming county roads, and many fences. Interstate 90 effectively creates a barrier for the herd and limits summer mule deer movements to the northwest.
Irrigated hay meadows and other agricultural fields are common and interspersed among the rolling foothills and sagebrush draws. White-tailed deer are also abundant in the region and may explain the high prevalence and associated mortality with CWD in the Lake De Smet mule deer herd (Sawyer and Telander, 2023). Together, CWD and WVC along U.S. Highway 16 represent the leading causes of mortality for this mule deer herd (Sawyer and Telander, 2023).
These mapping layers show the location of the migration routes for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Lake De Smet population in Wyoming. They were developed from 79 migration sequences collected from a sample size of 30 animals comprising GPS locations collected every 2 hours.

Tags: animal-behavior, biota, buffalo, migration-organisms, migratory-species, united-states, usgs-67917aa0d34ea6a4002bfb06, wyoming
Organization: Department of the Interior
Wyoming Pronghorn Bitter Creek Migration Routes

The Bitter Creek pronghorn herd inhabits south-central Wyoming, primarily to the south of Interstate 80. This herd unit includes the Great Divide Basin in the Red Desert Basin, characterized primarily by arid to semiarid sagebrush-steppe and harsh winters. Although the herd is generally remote, human development, such as oil and natural gas infrastructure, cattle and sheep ranching, and surface mining, affect pronghorn movement. Additionally, Interstate 80 functions as a large barrier to pronghorn movement, which motivated a GPS-collaring study (2017–20) to better understand the effect of Interstate 80 on pronghorn.
Most pronghorn in this herd are residents, but some individuals have intermittent migrations or seasonal forays to the south in the winter (fig. 33). These migrations do not occur every year and seemingly depend on winter severity (in other words, facultative migrations). Such movements do not necessarily occur between distinct seasonal ranges, so boundaries between seasonal ranges are unclear. Pronghorn can migrate more than 75 mi (121 km), as far south as Sunbeam, Colorado, and the herd spends most of the year near Interstate 80. The GPS-collared pronghorn with the farthest recorded migration remained within 6.2 mi (10 km) of Interstate 80 for 85 percent of its collar life (3.5 years; B. Robb, University of Wyoming, written commun., 2024). However, the high traffic volume of Interstate 80, net-wired right-of-way fencing, and the Union Pacific railroad that partly parallels the interstate deter most pronghorn from crossing the interstate. Only one migratory pronghorn successfully crossed Interstate 80, near mile marker 161, which indicated significant effects of the interstate as a barrier on the Bitter Creek herd. Fencing around oil and natural gas infrastructure also creates barriers to movement and poses a direct mortality risk.
These mapping layers show the location of the migration routes for pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) in the Bitter Creek population in Wyoming. They were developed from 29 migration sequences collected from a sample size of 6 animals comprising GPS locations collected every ~2 hours.

Tags: animal-behavior, biota, migration-organisms, migratory-species, rock-springs, united-states, usgs-67917ad3d34ea6a4002bfb0f, wyoming
Organization: Department of the Interior
Electrofishing, environmental DNA, and habitat data for watercourses in the Goose Lake Basin, Oregon, U.S.A., 2022–2024

We collected electrofishing, environmental DNA (eDNA), and habitat data from 2022 to 2024 in the Oregon portion of the Goose Lake Basin. Data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Oregon State University (OSU) to monitor native and non-native fish distributions in the Basin, and to relate observed abundances to specific habitat features. Sampling was conducted in collaboration with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) based on previous survey efforts, using a stratified random subset of sites surveyed by ODFW in 2007 and following the same protocols. We added eDNA to evaluate its efficacy as an alternative to traditional fish sampling methods, and all sample processing was carried out by the Levi Lab at OSU. During fish sampling efforts, we collected habitat data including channel width, depth, temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and substrate. These data are part of a broader, comprehensive monitoring effort in the Basin.

Tags: biogeography, biota, ecosystem-monitoring, electrofishing, environment, environmental-dna, field-inventory-and-monitoring, field-sampling, fish, goose-lake-basin, habitats, ichthyology, inland-fishery-resources, inlandwaters, oregon, usgs-6792685cd34e88f5864c495a
Organization: Department of the Interior