Kaibab Deer
Intro: The environment may be altered by forces within the biotic community, as well by relationships between organisms and the physical environment.
The carrying capacity of an ecosystem is the maximum number of organisms that an area can support. The size of a population may produce changes also in the environment and make it unsuitable for the survival of that species such as the kaibab deer of Arizona.
BACKGROUND: Before 1905, the deer on the plateau of northern Arizona had an estimate of 4000 kaibab deer. It was determined that 30,000 deer could survive as the carrying capacity of this area. *** In l906 the Grand Canyon National Preserve was established to protect this unique deer species.
Unfortunately, this area had also been overgrazed by sheep,cattle, and horses. Most of the tall grasses had been eliminated. The first step to protect the deer was to ban all hunting. Also, between l907 and l938 in this area 816 mountain lions, 20 wolves, 7388 coyotes and over 500 bobcats were killed.
As early as l920 their were signs that the deer population was out of control. The range was beginning to deteriorate rapidly. The Forest Service reduced the number of livestock grazing permits to help the deer, but by l923 the deer reported to be on the verge of starvation. ( Why? )
A committee recommended that ALL livestock BE REMOVED from the range and the number of deer had to be cut in half. Hunting reopened during the fall of l924, killing 675 deer. But this was only "one-tenth" of the number of deer born that year. In the next two winters with this new over-population---- over 60,000 deer starved to death.
*** Today the Arizona Game commission carefully manages the Kaibab area with regulations and local needs. Hunting permits are issued yearly to keep the herd stable and there is now protection of predators and allowance for them to live within Kaibab Plateau.
The final goal is to keep the deer carrying capacity of the range 30,000 or less. Each year/ like in Iowa they
will get an estimate of the population and decide on how many tags to give out for hunting and keeping its
population balanced and stable for area.
Questions to do:
1. make a graph and list the populations of the deer for the years given below: ( line or bar graph )
1905----4000 1927-----37,000
1910-----9000 1928-----35,000
1915----25,000 1929------30,000
1920----65,000 1930-------25,000
1924------100,000 1931------ 20,000
1925------60,000 1935------18,000
1926------40,000 1939-------10,000
2. Complete questions from sheet handed out concerning the deer story above.
3. Use your personal project to do questions from
back of that same sheet as well. ( you will be using your laptop and looking at your topics/ project
*** If time----we will then share one topic to another friend and each of you will re-evaluate "their story"
and summarize the population situation as well.
(discussion as pairs and class )
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary of the Kaibab deer: ( analysis )
1. The Forest Service in l906-07 wanted to protect this Arizona mule deer because they discovered its numbers were really low. ( only 4000 ).
*** They new the area near the Grand Canyon could support around 30,000 deer. To help them the government established the Grand Canyon National Preserve area. This would protect the deer from hunters and help keep livestock out of the preserve.
They also decided to start killing a lot of the predators such as wolves, mt-lions, bobcats and coyotes.
( this hunt happened from l907-1938 )
2. Was that plan successful? Kind of, but even though the population did rise, it got out of control by 1920. In l915 it had risen to 25,000 but by l920 the population had ballooned to over 65,000 !!!!!!!
What got even more of an issue is that it rose to over 100,000 by l924.
3. In 1925 ( just one year later )----- the kaibab deer dropped to a population of 65,000. What killed over
35,000 deer in just one year?
The two main reason were that there were still sheep and cattle in the preserve not yet removed and their were no hunting permits allowed to kill deer at all in area.
*** In summary --- a lot of deer had babies that fall into winter but there was not enough food for them to live and also no fall hunt earlier to kill some of them. Thus, a lot of breeding but then no food to survive that harsh l924-25 year.
5. What would you have done if you were in charged of the area from l925 to present time?
*** What the government has done : a lot of hunting of the predators into the early l940 s , they do allow some hunting tags in the fall, they try to control ranchers in the area, and they keep their alertness to their numbers in preserve all the time.
6. Some people claim that this deer population story would of happened anyway, no matter if there had been killing of predators or not.
**what do you think?---- explain why?
7. What plans might you do. ( similar to # 5 )
My main thought is to allow predators to live in the preserve as well as the deer. Keep having hunting of the deer in the fall. What do you think?
***
There is a book called " The Loop". Its a true story and great example of how ranchers in Wyoming and Montana want all the wolves and beers killed, but the USA government wants them to live in Yellowstone Park.
I am also aware of Isle Royale National Park and its battle with the moose population issues with the wolves that also live on that island. * I have been to this island with 4 of my students in the mid-l990's.
*** Doug Gauley, Chad Coburn, Keith Burke and Randy Reed ***
The carrying capacity of an ecosystem is the maximum number of organisms that an area can support. The size of a population may produce changes also in the environment and make it unsuitable for the survival of that species such as the kaibab deer of Arizona.
BACKGROUND: Before 1905, the deer on the plateau of northern Arizona had an estimate of 4000 kaibab deer. It was determined that 30,000 deer could survive as the carrying capacity of this area. *** In l906 the Grand Canyon National Preserve was established to protect this unique deer species.
Unfortunately, this area had also been overgrazed by sheep,cattle, and horses. Most of the tall grasses had been eliminated. The first step to protect the deer was to ban all hunting. Also, between l907 and l938 in this area 816 mountain lions, 20 wolves, 7388 coyotes and over 500 bobcats were killed.
As early as l920 their were signs that the deer population was out of control. The range was beginning to deteriorate rapidly. The Forest Service reduced the number of livestock grazing permits to help the deer, but by l923 the deer reported to be on the verge of starvation. ( Why? )
A committee recommended that ALL livestock BE REMOVED from the range and the number of deer had to be cut in half. Hunting reopened during the fall of l924, killing 675 deer. But this was only "one-tenth" of the number of deer born that year. In the next two winters with this new over-population---- over 60,000 deer starved to death.
*** Today the Arizona Game commission carefully manages the Kaibab area with regulations and local needs. Hunting permits are issued yearly to keep the herd stable and there is now protection of predators and allowance for them to live within Kaibab Plateau.
The final goal is to keep the deer carrying capacity of the range 30,000 or less. Each year/ like in Iowa they
will get an estimate of the population and decide on how many tags to give out for hunting and keeping its
population balanced and stable for area.
Questions to do:
1. make a graph and list the populations of the deer for the years given below: ( line or bar graph )
1905----4000 1927-----37,000
1910-----9000 1928-----35,000
1915----25,000 1929------30,000
1920----65,000 1930-------25,000
1924------100,000 1931------ 20,000
1925------60,000 1935------18,000
1926------40,000 1939-------10,000
2. Complete questions from sheet handed out concerning the deer story above.
3. Use your personal project to do questions from
back of that same sheet as well. ( you will be using your laptop and looking at your topics/ project
*** If time----we will then share one topic to another friend and each of you will re-evaluate "their story"
and summarize the population situation as well.
(discussion as pairs and class )
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary of the Kaibab deer: ( analysis )
1. The Forest Service in l906-07 wanted to protect this Arizona mule deer because they discovered its numbers were really low. ( only 4000 ).
*** They new the area near the Grand Canyon could support around 30,000 deer. To help them the government established the Grand Canyon National Preserve area. This would protect the deer from hunters and help keep livestock out of the preserve.
They also decided to start killing a lot of the predators such as wolves, mt-lions, bobcats and coyotes.
( this hunt happened from l907-1938 )
2. Was that plan successful? Kind of, but even though the population did rise, it got out of control by 1920. In l915 it had risen to 25,000 but by l920 the population had ballooned to over 65,000 !!!!!!!
What got even more of an issue is that it rose to over 100,000 by l924.
3. In 1925 ( just one year later )----- the kaibab deer dropped to a population of 65,000. What killed over
35,000 deer in just one year?
The two main reason were that there were still sheep and cattle in the preserve not yet removed and their were no hunting permits allowed to kill deer at all in area.
*** In summary --- a lot of deer had babies that fall into winter but there was not enough food for them to live and also no fall hunt earlier to kill some of them. Thus, a lot of breeding but then no food to survive that harsh l924-25 year.
5. What would you have done if you were in charged of the area from l925 to present time?
*** What the government has done : a lot of hunting of the predators into the early l940 s , they do allow some hunting tags in the fall, they try to control ranchers in the area, and they keep their alertness to their numbers in preserve all the time.
6. Some people claim that this deer population story would of happened anyway, no matter if there had been killing of predators or not.
**what do you think?---- explain why?
7. What plans might you do. ( similar to # 5 )
My main thought is to allow predators to live in the preserve as well as the deer. Keep having hunting of the deer in the fall. What do you think?
***
There is a book called " The Loop". Its a true story and great example of how ranchers in Wyoming and Montana want all the wolves and beers killed, but the USA government wants them to live in Yellowstone Park.
I am also aware of Isle Royale National Park and its battle with the moose population issues with the wolves that also live on that island. * I have been to this island with 4 of my students in the mid-l990's.
*** Doug Gauley, Chad Coburn, Keith Burke and Randy Reed ***
We took about 4 hours to get to the island by boat.
WE hiked around the island in about 5 days and saw many moose and a few bull moose in the lakes.
WE saw the northern lights at night.
WE never saw any wolves.
WE hiked around the island in about 5 days and saw many moose and a few bull moose in the lakes.
WE saw the northern lights at night.
WE never saw any wolves.