Bobcat Population Dynamics, Distribution,
& Landscapte Genetics

William R. Clark, Ph.D. & Todd Gosselink, Ph.D.

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Public Outreach

The project attracted lots of interest from the general public, trappers, and other conservation groups. We’ve held many public meetings and made presentations to schools, clubs, and at county conservation boards (image right - Todd Gosselink, DNR biologist, talks at a public meeting at Red Haw State park). A film crew from the Missouri Department of Conservation included the Iowa bobcat project in a documentary they made regarding the importance of research as the basis for conservation planning and management of bobcats. The Iowa Natural Resources Commission has shown a great interest in the project because of the public interest and the support of the trappers.

(image left - Dawn Reding, Ph.D. student, explains details of the project to DNR Deputy Director Pat Boddy, Director Rich Leopold, and Natural Resource Commissioner Kim Francisco during the March 2009 necropsy sampling)

Principal Investigators

William R. Clark, Ph.D., Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011.  E-mail: wrclark@iastate.edu (see publications link) and  Todd Gosselink, Ph.D., Wildlife Research Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).  E-mail: Todd.Gosselink@dnr.iowa.gov

Graduate Students

Three students earned advanced degrees during this study. Dawn M. Reding, Ph.D., E-mail: reding@iastate.edu. led the research on landscape genetics. Dr. Reding was co-advised in the laboratory of Dr. Anne M. Bronikowski (http://www.eeob.iastate.edu/faculty/BronikoA/homepage.html) who helped with all aspects of the population genetics research. Stephanie A. Linde: M.S., modeled the statewide distribution and abundance, she now works as a environmental services GIS specialist for Barr Engineering in the Twin Cities. Stephanie Koehler Tucker, M.S. initiated the telemetry field work and analyzed home range and habitat selection, she is now the furbearer biologist for North Dakota Game and Fish Department

Initially the project was motivated by Ron Andrews, formerly Wildlife Biologist with the Iowa DNR. James Coffey, DNR Wildlife Research Technician, helped keep field work running smoothly. This project could not have been accomplished without the hard work of the technicians listed below. After experience on this project, 12 of them have gone on to graduate study and nearly all the others are working on research and management projects throughout the U.S. and Canada. Technicians: Derek Broman, Chad Holy, Alicia Andes, Eric Schroder, Dan Fredrickson, Kristy Bellinger, Jaclyn Comeau, Jennifer Timmer, Jim Kauffman, Chad Tucker, Scott Williams, Sara Hansen, Jennifer Kanine, Jessica Parkhurst, Kelcey Brockmeyer, Heather Stricker, Megan Jones, Jessica Davis, Beth Orning-Tschampel, Jessica Bolis, Matt Purvis, Calvin Duncan, Nick McCann

Funding: The primary source of funds was an Iowa DNR State Wildlife Grant, administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Minneapolis Minnesota. Dr. Reding was principal investigator on a NSF, Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant and two Iowa Academy of Sciences Grants. We also received support from Furbearers Unlimited.