Small mammal sampling protocol for long-term ecological monitoring program.

The small mammal investigations begun in the Rock Creek watershed
of Denali National Park and Preserve in 1992 focused primarily on
three species: the northern red-backed vole (Clethrionomys rutilis),
the tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus), and the singing vole (Microtus
miurus). Captures were also recorded of northern bog lemmings
(Synaptomys borealis) and shrews (Sorex spp.), but demographic
information was not collected on these species.

Geographic Description:
Rock Creek Watershed in the Denali National Park and Preserve.
Denali National Park and Preserve is located in the central Alaska
Range, approximately 210 km southwest of Fairbanks, Alaska.

Methodology:
Two competing trapping methods were employed for the assessment of
population changes over time. Trapping grids, described by Otis et
al. (1978), are used primarily for the estimation of population
abundance, but are adaptable for the estimation of density. With
traps in a grid configuration, traps are placed uniform distances
apart in lines separated by the same distance as traps within a line,
forming a rectangular trap pattern.