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#           Ungulate migrations of the Western United States, volume 4      

      April 11, 2024    

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Broadly distributed across the Western United States, ungulates (hooved mammals) play an important role in ecosystem function by affecting vegetation communities and forming the prey base for large carnivores. Additionally, ungulates provide economic benefits to regional communities through tourism and hunting and hold cultural significance for many Tribal communities. Many ungulates migrate seasonally between distinct summer and winter ranges to take advantage of spatially and temporally variable food sources and avoid threats such as predators and deep snow. Increasingly, these migrations are threatened by the growing human footprint and associated subdivisions, energy development, and increased traffic volume. Efforts to study ungulate populations and conserve their migrations received support in recent years from the U.S. Department of the Interior Secretarial Order No. 3362, which provided Federal support for enhancing habitat quality for ungulates across the Western States. In response to Secretarial Order No. 3362, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) established the Corridor Mapping Team, a collaboration among USGS and participating State and Federal wildlife management agencies and numerous Tribal Nations. Together, the Corridor Mapping Team maps ungulate migrations throughout the Western United States in the USGS “Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States” report series. This report (volume 4) details migrations and seasonal ranges from 31 new herds throughout nine Western States. Additionally, this report includes updates to two herds published in previous reports. Including this report, the report series has provided the mapped migrations and seasonal ranges of 182 unique herds and has provided a map-based inventory of the documented ungulate migrations across the Western United States for biologists, managers, policy makers, and conservation practitioners. This report also discusses how the mapping efforts associated with the Corridor Mapping Team can be used to guide management and policy regarding renewable energy development and ungulate disease, specifically chronic wasting disease, in the Western United States.

## Citation Information

## Related Content

                  -              Data           
                  -              Connect           

May 7, 2024

####                 Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 4              

Cooperative Research Units

#### Matthew Kauffman, PhD

##### Research Wildlife Biologist

Cooperative Research Units

mkauffman@usgs.gov

307-766-6404

#### Blake Lowrey, Ph.d.

##### Biologist

Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

blowrey@usgs.gov

#### James Cain, III, PhD

##### Research Wildlife Biologist

Cooperative Research Units

jwcain@usgs.gov

575-646-3382

#### Katie  Dugger, PhD

##### Research Ecologist

Cooperative Research Units

cdugger@usgs.gov

541-737-2473

## Related Content

May 7, 2024

####                 Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 4              

Cooperative Research Units

#### Matthew Kauffman, PhD

##### Research Wildlife Biologist

Cooperative Research Units

mkauffman@usgs.gov

307-766-6404

#### Blake Lowrey, Ph.d.

##### Biologist

Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

blowrey@usgs.gov

#### James Cain, III, PhD

##### Research Wildlife Biologist

Cooperative Research Units

jwcain@usgs.gov

575-646-3382

#### Katie  Dugger, PhD

##### Research Ecologist

Cooperative Research Units

cdugger@usgs.gov

541-737-2473

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12201 Sunrise Valley DrReston, VA20192United States

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####               Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK) Headquarters          

2327 University WaySuite 2Bozeman, MT59715United States

406-994-7544

406-994-6556

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