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

Understanding the costs and benefits of migration, and the location of areas in the landscape where important migration behaviors occur, is critical to sustainable management of ungulate populations that are of high economic value and cultural importance in western states like Oregon. This is particularly important as habitat loss and fragmentation continue to increase in association with human activities and development across ungulate ranges in the west. These landscape changes can disrupt ecosystem function and increase the cost of migration for target populations. The identification and prioritization of migration corridors throughout Oregon would address a critical data gap for the state and facilitate conservation and management of these populations. In collaboration with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and the USGS, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, the following objectives were developed to address these needs for mule deer and pronghorn antelope in Oregon:

1). Compile all available GPS collar data on migratory and non-migratory mule deer and pronghorn antelope in Oregon and conduct an analysis using Brownian Bridge Movement Models.
2). Create cartographic map products of migration corridors, and seasonal ranges for mule deer and pronghorn in Oregon, making associated corridor polygon data available to land and resource managers via a Migration Route Viewer.
3). To assist ODFW with the development of cartographic and infographic products to communicate key migration issues, threats, and conservation opportunities within the state.