Cyclical change in the abundance of snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) can strongly influence the distribution and habitat use of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) and sympatric carnivores. However, we have very little understanding of the effects of natural and anthropogenic landscape change on that predator-prey dynamic. That includes the effects of accelerated and large-scale salvage harvest in north-central BC. We used a combination of non-invasive survey methods such as camera traps and hair snags (66 sites; 2015-2016, 2020-2022) as well as GPS collars (n = 17; 2020-2022) to assess the habitat ecology and status of Canada lynx populations. We conducted this research during two contrasting periods of hare abundance and in an area impacted by accelerated salvage harvest. We observed differences in the distribution, abundance, habitat use, and overlap of lynx, hares, and sympatric carnivores between the two periods. We found that forest cover/structure was a driving factor influencing these patterns and that the importance of riparian edge habitat increased during the low in hare abundance. We will discuss the implications of our findings to habitat management and population monitoring of Canada lynx. This talk is co-sponsored with the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.

The Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC hosts a weekly lecture series at the Prince George campus. Anyone from the university or wider community with interest in the topic area is welcome to attend. Presentations are also made available to remote participants through Zoom Webinar. Go to http://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts to view the presentation remotely.

Past NRESi colloquium presentations and special lectures can be viewed on our video archive, available here.