Data from: 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 from 12 to 22 people per day. Activity overlap
analysis also revealed a shift towards increased evening activity by elk
at cameras with higher-than-average recreation (∆ = 0.70, 95% confidence
interval = 0.61 - 0.88; χ2 = 7.79,  p = 0.02). Generalized
additive modeling confirms that elk are more crepuscular or nocturnal at
camera locations with more than 10 hiker detections per day. We compare
methods for estimating recreation, showing model-based estimates are more
informative than camera-based estimates. This indicates that recreational
intensity along and in the immediate vicinity of trails may be a better
predictor of impacts on wildlife than camera-based estimates that quantify
recreational intensity at specific locations along trails. We stress the
importance of examining impacts of recreation on wildlife across multiple
spatiotemporal scales, and underscore how novel approaches can provide
land managers valuable tools to develop management strategies that balance
recreation and wildlife. We hope that our work can also serve as a strong
example of collaboration between universities, state agencies, and
sovereign Indigenous nations towards the broader goal of mitigating
negative impacts of recreation on wildlife.