Page 77 - Mapping the Nation: Taking Climate Action

vegetation and what species are displaced and where. "The research aims to determine how many horses are too many, and where exactly the conflicts arise around water and forage," Schroeder said. Knowing Where to Apply More Management Practices Biologists use aerial surveys to make all manner of wildlife management decisions because of the perspective surveys give them. "Once you get up into a helicopter, you realize just how connected everything is," McKee said. "While there are many miles separating mountain ranges, the animals we're managing have the ability to cover those miles in a few hours if need be." With streamlined data collection, NDOW biologists can look at pressures spatially and ask geographic questions from the survey data about population health versus range conditions. "This is going to help us investigate things and focus our habitat restoration efforts where we can create the most connectivity for wildlife," Schroeder said. ensuring the longevity of species and making decisions that can sustain populations. With all the pressures mule deer and other species face, this group wants forecasts. "We go up and see this expansive drought-stricken range land and know that unless we get the needed precipitation over this winter and spring, our wildlife is going to be faced with some big challenges in the coming year," McKee said. Future study of Nevada habitat is planned to guide work in places where conflicts cause the most harm. Biologists place hope in data-driven collaborations to predict and anticipate further catastrophic change. With the new streamlined workflows providing the ability to compare mule deer reaction to changing conditions, NDOW hopes to engage with other states and stakeholders, including university researchers, to pinpoint causes of decline. "We don't even know what changes we're going to be looking at in a couple of years," Schroeder said. "But now we can ask these landscape-scale questions." Addressing Regional Mule Deer Decline In the mid-1990s, the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies developed a mule deer working group that monitors the population across its full range, addresses disease concerns, and supports best management practices. NDOW biologists have shared their aerial survey approach with the working group. Peers in all states have the same focus on A dashboard view provides details about the status of survey efforts and the running total of wildlife counted. 76 Drought