Wolf Distribution and Road Density in Minnesota

Authors

L. David Mech, United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research CenterFollow
Steven H. Fritts, United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Glenn L. Radde, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
William J. Paul, United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Date of this Version

1988

Citation

Wildlife Society Bulletin (1988) 16: 85-87

Comments

United States government work

Abstract

Distribution of the wolf (Canis lupus) in parts of Wisconsin (Thiel 1985) and Michigan and Ontario (Jensen et al. 1986) has been related to the density of roads passable by 2-wheel-drive vehicles. Wolves in those regions generally do not occur where road densities exceed 0.58 km/km², whereas similar areas nearby with fewer roads do contain wolves.

In a small segment of the wolf range in Minnesota, wolves did not have territories where roads exceeded a density of 0.73 km/km² (T. K. Fuller, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, unpublished data). In another small area of Minnesota with 0.73 km of roads/ km², >50% of known wolf mortality was caused by humans despite prohibitions of the United States Endangered Species Act, but wolves survived there probably because the area was surrounded by an extensive wilderness reservoir (L. D. Mech, unpublished data).