EFFECTS OF ROAD MANAGEMENT ON MOVEMENT AND SURVIVAL OF ROOSEVELT ELK

Road closures frequently are used to manage for Rocky Mountain elk (Ce rvus elaphus nelsoni), but no studies have evaluated the effects of li mited vehicle access on movements and survival of Roosevelt elk (C. el aphus roosevelti). We studied movements and survival of female Rooseve lt elk before Road Management Areas (RMA) were designated, and during limited vehicular access from 1991 to 1995. The Bureau of Land Managem ent (BLM) instituted a limited-vehicle access program on 35% of the st udy area in 1992. We found a reduction in core area size (P = 0.002) a nd home range size (P = 0.077) during limited vehicle access. There wa s also a reduction in daily movement of elk (P = 0.0001), and there wa s a negative correlation between daily movements and percent associati on of elk home ranges with RMA. There was an increase in survival rate (P = 0.03) during the limited-vehicular access period compared to the pre-RMA period, and survival rate declined following the removal of t he gates (P = 0.05). Our data suggest that limited-vehicular access re duces human disturbance that results in reduced movements and poaching (increased survival) of Roosevelt elk. Such methods should be conside red for other elk populations.