UAM Professor Gives Keynote Address at Science Symposium

Around Campus Editor

   Elk antlers, a handheld antenna and radio transmitter collars all sit on the table at the front of the auditorium as the crowd fills the room. 

   The Math and Science Center on the University of Arkansas-Monticello campus became a hub of science for students and instructors last weekend during the Arkansas Academy of Science’s 95th annual meeting.

   Elk, red imported fire ants, genes to help suppress tumors, freshwater algae and cotton production all received attention during the two-day event bringing people from all over Arkansas and from parts of Louisiana together to discuss furthering science. Students and professors presented talks and posters about a wide range of scientific studies.

   Don White Jr., associate professor of wildlife ecology at UAM’s School of Forest Resources, presented the keynote presentation Friday evening and discussed his research on the elk population in Arkansas.

Elk Ecology in Arkansas

   White’s keynote presentation about elk in Arkansas provided rich information and research topics for those in attendance. Elk, originally native to much of the U.S., once had populations in Arkansas. But in 1870 the elk population in the state vanished due to overhunting and human population booms. 

   White tells the story of elk reintroduction while pacing from one side of the auditorium to the other. He uses his hands liberally. He tries pointing at the presentation screen, but of course the laser pointer doesn’t work.

   “One of you physicists: Please develop a pointer that works, would you?" he said. "You ever notice how these things never work because no one can ever see them?”

   According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, an attempted reintroduction of elk by the USDA Forest Service began in 1933. The herd grew to approximately 200, then failed and vanished by the 1950s. Then a second attempt began in 1981 and produced continuing results. Three main populations of elk now exist in northwestern Arkansas with about 450 animals.

   White’s research helps the AGFC maintain the elk population. 

   “The biggest payoff I get from doing research is to have some of my research results written into management plans and installed on the ground,” White said. “I’m interested in initiating change and providing more information for managers to do their job.”

   White’s research with the Arkansas elk began in 2003. Through his research, they’ve observed a 45-to-100 bull-to-cow ratio. He said they try to maintain such a high ratio because the herds provide consumptive and nonconsumptive uses.

   “People like to watch elk. They like to watch bulls rut in the fall. We want more bulls out there for people to just watch.”

   White said elk present three main problems: their huge size; they tend to be generalists, meaning they eat a lot of various things; and they can be a pain to manage.

   The AGFC limits hunting the species to 30 individuals a year, but White said the number will probably increase in the coming years because of the success of the herds. He indicates on one of the slides the drastic increase of numbers over a few years.

   “That was when we used radio collars on bulls," he said. "You’ll notice we seemed to detect more branch-antler and spike-antler bulls when we had radio collars. I call those Judas bulls. They basically told us where other bulls were located and we were able to detect them.”

   Even with the radio collars, White said true estimates of population prove to be difficult.

   “You’ve got a large area of 350,000 hectares. It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to do a really good job on population estimates because detectability is going to be a problem. Bulls are much more secretive than cows.”

   He said the calf population data concerns researchers because calves seem to be disappearing.

   “Boy, this is a problem. Since 2007-2008, the population of calves has been going down. That’s a concern. We see them when they hit the ground in early June and we see them up until about August, then all of a sudden we don’t see the same calves anymore.”

   White said concern over the calf population will spur more research in the coming years.

   He shows a video of a helicopter flying in to catch an elk. Helicopter missions to catch and tag elk began in 1991. 

   The helicopter swoops down easily as the elk tries to run out of the open pasture into the woods. Then someone shoots a net at the elk, encompassing him. The elk tumbles and tries to get free, but can’t.

   “This animal does a bit of a summersault. Don’t worry, he’s fine. Mark brings me around in the helicopter. Then I do what I call ‘mugging’ this animal.” It all looks so simple, tackling elk. 

   White jumps on the elk, in this case a yearling bull, keeps him trapped in the net, and puts a hood over him to keep him calm. For the smaller animals, this is the method used. For the larger bulls, White uses tranquilizers to sedate the animals before tagging them.

   These days White uses new technologies like GPS to track elk. Over the years, they’ve mapped 3,900 locations. Through this data, White shows where elk go during winters and summer. Their range expands from the Buffalo River corridor during the spring then retracts during the winter months. 

   White’s presentation focused on maintaining and protecting the elk population. His continuing research on conservation and management looks at various aspects:

• Space use. Elk need a lot of space to live.
• Causes of mortality. Hunting, natural predators, and illnesses like brainworms. 
• Survival. The lifespan of elk by sex.
• Home range and location. Where do cows and bulls like to stay?
• Reproduction. When are calves born? Where do the cows go to give birth?
• Forage use. How do the elk herds influence the ecology where they forage? What do they eat the most of and what to do they abstain from eating?
• Human dimensions. How do elk and humans interact? Farmers often express concern about fencing issues and damage to domesticated animals and fields.

Origins of the AAS

   Jeff Robertson, president of the Arkansas Academy of Science and physical sciences department head at Arkansas Tech University, said he enjoys the opportunity to learn from his fellow researchers with the myriad topics discussed during the symposiums. He said topics in past symposiums focused on topics like the health of oceans to asteroids. 

   "The meeting travels around the state,” Robertson said. “It’s been at least 20 years since it was at UAM last.”

   The AAS first began meeting in 1917 “to establish regular avenues of communication with one another and promote science and the dissemination of scientific information in the state,” according to the AAS website.

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