Quantifying impacts of recreation on elk (Cervus canadensis) using novel modeling approaches

Recreation is known to impact wildlife by displacing and sometimes extirpating sensitive species, underscoring a need for policies that balance wildlife and recreation. This is especially pressing when Indigenous rights necessitate ecological integrity and sustainable populations of wildlife throughout traditional territories. In the Cascade Mountain Range of Washington, USA, Indigenous harvest of elk (Cervus canadensis) is declining, concurrent with increases in recreation. Yet, the nature and magnitude of the effects of recreation on elk is unknown, which prevents land managers from developing informed policies regarding recreation and wildlife management. Here, we use camera traps alongside visitation models that incorporate geolocated social media to quantify impacts of recreation on elk in western Washington. Random forest models show elk detection rates are relatively constant at low levels of recreation (0 – 11 people per day), but decrease by over 41% when recreation increases f..., We used an elk habitat suitability model hereafter referred to as “the westside model” (Rowland et al. 2018) to characterize habitat suitability throughout the full North Rainier Elk Herd range in western Washington, identifying areas of high quality habitat for camera trap deployments. We defined high quality habitat as areas that the westside model ranked as the 40% most suitable elk habitat in the herd range (Fig. 1). The goal of this site selection criterion was to better isolate the impacts of recreation on elk detections while reducing the confounding effects of habitat quality. We then clipped these areas to land parcels managed by Washington Department of Natural Resources (WA DNR) and the United States Forest Service (USFS), as these two agencies provided permission for us to deploy cameras on their managed lands. The WA DNR and USFS properties encompassed by the North Rainier Elk Herd range span a gradient of recreational use intensity, including areas that consistently see ov..., , # **Data from: Quantifying impacts of recreation on elk (*Cervus canadensis*) using novel modeling approaches**

## Description

The attached dataset includes detection data for wildlife species captured on camera traps in western Washington, as well as numerous variables representing environmental conditions of the camera locations during the time that the image was taken. Data was collected from June 2022 - Sept. 2022 by researchers at the University of Washington, working in collaboration with Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and The Tulalip Tribes of Washington. The goal of this project was to assess the impacts of recreation on elk throughout the western Cascades. Data therefore comprise a collection of variables anticipated to influence elk habitat use (and therefore elk detection rates), in addition to detailed information about the date and time during which these images were taken.

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.jdfn2z3j4](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.jdfn2z3j...