The interaction effects of wolves to coyotes to rodents is the first topic for the summer seminar series Thursday, June 9, at the University of Wyoming-National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Center. The center is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.
Brian Miller, Wind River Ranch Foundation coordinator of conservation and research in New Mexico, will discuss "Trophic Interactions Linking Wolves, Coyotes and Small Mammals," at 6:30 p.m. at the AMK Ranch, north of Leeks Marina. A barbecue will be held at 5:30 p.m. with a $5 per person fee; reservations are not required. For more information, call the UW-NPS Center at (307) 543-2463.
Miller will discuss his research work, including his observations that coyotes generally avoid areas near wolf dens and document higher numbers of rodents, particularly voles, on plots that were near the dens.
"Predation by coyotes appeared to be depressing numbers of small mammals in areas away from wolves," says Miller. He received his doctoral degree from the UW Department of Zoology and Physiology and spent many years in the conservation program at the Denver Zoological Foundation.
The UW-NPS Research Center provides a base for university faculty members and governmental scientists from throughout North America to conduct research in the diverse aquatic and terrestrial environments of Grand Teton National Park and the Greater Yellowstone Area.
