Don't Know Where I'm Going...: In Search of Scat

For my first few weeks here at the Keystone Conservation office, I have researched articles on bears, wolves and mountain lions to gain a greater understanding of what my internship would entail. Apex predators are pretty fascinating, and are a keystone in our ecosystem. Without predators, the Ungulates ie. elk, moose and deer would eat so much vegetation, nothing would have time to replenish. Many Hunters and Ranchers beg to differ but that is a whole other ball game, one called politics and I found that you don't have to be running for office here in Montana to be involved in politics!

Local knowledge is key when you are one of more than two dozen conservation agencies trying to better situations for the wildlife. As a non-profit, you need to stand out from the crowd. Keystone implements practical solutions for wildlife conservation; they do not promote advocacy through litigation, as it causes more friction than the solutions it provides. Education is the key, and for those who don't understand the in-depth world of predators, Keystone helps give local residents and recreationists the tools they need to avoid conflicts with these predators. For example, being responsible for storage of trash while camping or at home, carrying bear spray while hiking or hunting in the back-country, maintenance of bird feeders and practical use of vegetation in our homes will deter bears. A program called Range Riders helps deter conflicts with wolves before they arise. Range Riders patrol Montana's open range on horseback. They use telemetry, herding, vigilant observation and non-lethal hazing techniques to keep wolves, bears and livestock safe.

We can't get away from the fact that there will always be hunters who hunt predators and that predators will be harvested by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Services to maintain a safe number of predators. Sadly, when predators like bears become habituated to humans and their food in National Parks, this causes conflicts which usually end in mortality for the bear. This is becoming more frequent in the news.

I have yet to see a bear or wolf in the back-country, I've got my fingers crossed that I will before I leave. I have gotten the opportunity to head out on some field days with Melly, who is a wildlife biologist and Program Director of Wolf Coexistence here at Keystone Conservation. As part of the field day research, Keystone partnered with Megan and her dog Pepin from Working Dogs For Conservation click here. By locating scat samples they are able to identify species’ presence, abundance, food habits, parasite loads, and habitat use. It's pretty interesting what information you can get from poop!

So, we headed about 2hrs south of Bozeman to the Gravelly Range in search of wolf scat. Not the perfect day in search of scat but you got to face some elements in the name of science!