Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Idaho
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Southern mountain caribou have declined precipitously in western North America in recent decades and both the US and Canadian government s are working collaboratively on recovery efforts for this species. We do not have a solid understanding about the needs, availability, and spatial distribution of high quality habitat for caribou. This project is a collaboration between USGS, USFWS, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and Canadian and First Nations governments. We will assess habitat suitability across space and time and project habitat suitability as a function of future human land use patterns in western N. Am. The resulting models can be used to guide the spatial design of recovery options and guide southern mountain caribou conservation in western North America.