Sechelt Peninsula - Mammal Camera Study

Sechelt Peninsula - Mammal Camera Study

Conservation and management of Roosevelt Elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) requires accurate and precise population estimates. Current regional inventory methods involve aerial inventory surveys with corrections for sightability based on subjective assessment of several factors informed by professional expertise. However, the accuracy of these corrections is highly variable, subject to bias, and does not involve estimates of precision / uncertainty (e.g. Confidence Limits). The objectives of this project are to (1) develop method for estimating elk abundance accurately and precisely that accounts for imperfect detection empirically; and (2) compare costs and estimates from: a) a logistic regression Bayesian data augmentation approach, fit to aerial sightability trial survey data; and b) Spatial Mark Resight models fit to aerial and camera trap data. 57 cameras were deployed in a grid design across the peninsula to estimate elk abundance using Spatial Mark-Resight (SMR) models (with GPS collared elk as the 'marked' population) and distance sampling models (assuming individuals are not identifiable). Distance sampling models will also be fit to camera trap data for other species (e.g., deer), assuming sufficient detections.