Schoenecker, K.A., and W.W. Shaw. 2008. Attitudes toward a proposed reintroduction of Mexican gray wolves in Arizona. Human Dimensions of Wildlife. 2(3): 42-55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10871209709359101
Kate Schoenecker, Ph.D.
Science and Products
Date published: November 18, 2016
Status: Active Herbivore-Ecosystem Interactions
Data from these studies help inform management decisions regarding ungulates on public lands, typically in large, jurisdictionally complex landscapes. Recent work involves investigations on the effects of herd size and movements of elk, bison, and wild horses on various ecosystem components. Specifically, scientific efforts include quantifying interactions among herbivores, plants, and soils;...
Contacts: Kate Schoenecker, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: November 17, 2016
Status: Active Where the Bison Roam: Public-Private Partnership Supports Potential Restoration
A little over one hundred years ago, plains bison were prolific in the Great American West. Reports describe herds containing thousands of animals migrating through the central and western states, totaling 20–30 million across their entire range. With commercial, unregulated hunting in the late 1800s came the rapid demise of bison to barely more than 1,000 by 18891. Recently, renewed interest...
Contacts: Kate Schoenecker, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: October 27, 2016
Status: Active Non-invasive Genetic Sampling of Free-roaming Horses to Estimate Population Size, Genetic Diversity, and Consumption of Invasive Species
Molecular tagging is a new application of molecular genetic techniques to traditional mark-recapture methodology designed to address situations where traditional methods fail. In such studies, non-invasively collected samples (such as feces, feathers, or fur) are used as a source of DNA that is then genotyped at multiple loci such that each individual animal can be uniquely identified. Thus,...
Contacts: Kate Schoenecker, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: October 18, 2016
Status: Active Counting America’s Wild Horses and Burros: Better Estimates for Population Management
The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, as amended, states that, "It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands (PL 92-195, Sec. 1331, Congressional...
Contacts: Kate Schoenecker, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: October 17, 2016
Status: Active Wild Horse and Burro Survey Techniques
Because population estimates drive nearly all management decisions pertaining to wild horses and burros, accuracy is important. Several widely used techniques exist for conducting aerial population estimates of wildlife, but individually, each has important limitations. Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center (FORT), are evaluating combinations of these...
Contacts: Kate Schoenecker, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: August 29, 2016
Elk and Bison Grazing Ecology in the San Luis Valley, Colorado
Managers need information on the grazing ecology of bison and elk in the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve to develop science-based management alternatives.
Contacts: Kate Schoenecker, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: August 29, 2016
Status: Active Wild Horse and Burro Population Management
Wild horse populations often increase at high rates on U.S. western rangelands, which in turn can lead to habitat degradation. The U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Land Management are cooperating on studies investigating the potential of fertility control drugs to reduce foaling rates. In addition, because nearly every management issue concerning wild horses depends on accurate herd...
Contacts: Kate Schoenecker, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: August 26, 2016
Status: Active Research for Management of America's Wild Horses and Burros
FORT scientists are leading collaborative research projects to provide the BLM with better tools for managing expanding wild horse and burro populations. We are assessing the carrying capacity of wild horse habitats, behavioral effects of spaying mares and gelding a proportion of a herd’s stallions, testing the efficacy of an intrauterine device for mares, and evaluating four fertility-control...
Contacts: Kate Schoenecker, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: August 15, 2016
Status: Active America's Wild Horses and Burros—Research to Support Management
The wild horses that roam the west are feral descendents of domestic animals that either escaped from or were intentionally released by early European explorers and later settlers. As a result of both origin and contemporary management, the Spanish or Iberian influence remains strong in some wild horse populations (e.g., the Kiger, Pryor Mountain, and Sulfur Mountain herds). In other...
Contacts: Kate Schoenecker, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: August 15, 2016
Status: Active Elk and Bison Grazing Ecology in the San Luis Valley, Colorado
Managers need information on the grazing ecology of bison and elk in the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve to develop science-based management alternatives.
Contacts: Kate Schoenecker, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: August 6, 2016
Status: Active Molecular Tagging
Molecular tagging is a new application of molecular genetic techniques to traditional mark-recapture methodology designed to address situations where traditional methods fail. In such studies, non-invasively collected samples (such as feces, feathers, or fur) are used as a source of DNA that is then genotyped at multiple loci such that each individual animal can be uniquely identified. Thus,...
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: November 25, 2020
Body condition score of horses wearing radio collars, weekly behavior data of treatments and controls, and monthly descriptive data of collar and radio tag effects, 2015-2016, Oklahoma, USA
These data are from a study of wild horses and burros wearing radio collars in a captive facility in Oklahoma, USA, for one year. We also evaluated radio transmitter tags (braided into the mane and tails of horses but not burros). We recorded behavior, body condition score, and effects of collars on the necks of horses and burros wearing radio collars and of horses and burros not wear
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Year Published: 2021
Comparison of aerial thermal infrared imagery and helicopter surveys of bison (Bison bison) in Grand Canyon National Park, USA
Aerial thermal infrared (TIR) surveys are an attractive option for estimating abundances of large mammals inhabiting extensive and heterogenous terrain. Compared to standard helicopter or fixed-wing aerial surveys, TIR flights can be conducted at higher altitudes translating into greater spatial coverage and increased observer safety; however,...
Hennig, Jacob Daniel; Schoenecker, Kathryn A.; Terwilliger, Miranda; Holm, Gregory W; Laake, Jeffrey L.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Standard operating procedures for wild horse and burro double-observer aerial surveys
The U.S. Geological Survey has been collaborating with the Bureau of Land Management to develop statistically reliable methods for wild horse and burro aerial survey data collection and analysis for more than a decade. In cooperation with Colorado State University, the U.S. Geological Survey tested several methods in herds with known abundance,...
Paul C. Griffin; Ekernas, L. Stefan; Schoenecker, Kathryn A.; Bruce C. LubowAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Griffin, P.C., Ekernas, L.S., Schoenecker, K.A., and Lubow, B.C., 2020, Standard operating procedures for wild horse and burro double-observer aerial surveys: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods, book 2, chap. A16, 76 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/tm2A16
Year Published: 2019
Comparison of methods to examine diet of feral horses from non-invasively collected fecal samples
Feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) have become abundant on public lands in the American West, particularly over the past 10 yr. In areas where they are overabundant, there is risk of habitat degradation. Most previous studies on diet and habitat use of feral horses were conducted more than 20 yr ago; rangelands have...
King, Sarah R.B.; Schoenecker, Kathryn A.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2019
Potential spread of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) by feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) in Western Colorado
The invasive grass cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) presents major challenges for land management and habitat conservation in the western United States. Feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) have become overabundant in some areas of the West and can impact fragile semiarid ecosystems. Amid ongoing efforts to control...
King, Sarah R.B.; Schoenecker, Kathryn A.; Manier, Daniel J.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2018
Change in dominance determines herbivore effects on plant biodiversity
Herbivores alter plant biodiversity (species richness) in many of the world’s ecosystems, but the magnitude and the direction of herbivore effects on biodiversity vary widely within and among ecosystems. One current theory predicts that herbivores enhance plant biodiversity at high productivity but have the opposite effect at low productivity. Yet...
Koerner, Sally E.; Smith, Melinda D.; Burkepile, Deron E.; Hanan, Niall P.; Avolio, Meghan L.; Collins, Scott L.; Knapp, Alan K.; Lemoine, Nathan P.; Forrestel, Elisabeth J.; Eby, Stephanie; Thompson, Dave I.; Aguado-Santacruz, Gerardo A.; Anderson, John P.; Anderson, T. Michael; Angassa, Ayana; Bagchi, Sumanta; Bakker, Elisabeth S.; Bastin, Gary; Baur, Lauren E.; Beard, Karen H.; Beever, Erik A.; Bohlen, Patrick J.; Boughton, Elizabeth H.; Canestro, Don; Cesa, Ariela; Chaneton, Enrique; Cheng, Jimin; D'Antonio, Carla M.; Deleglise, Claire; Dembélé, Fadiala; Dorrough, Josh; Eldridge, David J.; Fernandez-Going, Barbara; Fernández-Lugo, Silvia; Fraser, Lauchlan H.; Freedman, Bill; García-Salgado, Gonzalo; Goheen, Jacob R.; Guo, Liang; Husheer, Sean; Karembé, Moussa; Knops, Johannes M. H.; Kraaij, Tineke; Kulmatiski, Andrew; Kytöviita, Minna-Maarit; Lezama, Felipe; Loucougaray, Gregory; Loydi, Alejandro; Milchunas, Daniel G.; Milton, Suzanne J.; Morgan, John W.; Moxham, Claire; Nehring, Kyle C.; Olff, Han; Palmer, Todd M.; Rebollo, Salvador; Riginos, Corinna; Risch, Anita C.; Rueda, Marta; Sankaran, Mahesh; Sasaki, Takehiro; Schoenecker, Kathryn A.; Schultz, Nick L.; Schütz, Martin; Schwabe, Angelika; Siebert, Frances; Smit, Christian; Stahlheber, Karen A.; Storm, Christian; Strong, Dustin J.; Su, Jishuai; Tiruvaimozhi, Yadugiri V.; Tyler, Claudia; Val, James; Vandegehuchte, Martijn L.; Veblen, Kari E.; Vermeire, Lance; Ward, David; Wu, Jianshuang; Young, Truman P.; Yu, Qiang; Zelikova, Tamara J.
Year Published: 2018
Change in dominance determines herbivore effects on plant biodiversity
Herbivores alter plant biodiversity (species richness) in many of the world’s ecosystems, but the magnitude and the direction of herbivore effects on biodiversity vary widely within and among ecosystems. One current theory predicts that herbivores enhance plant biodiversity at high productivity but have the opposite effect at low productivity. Yet...
Koerner, Sally E.; Smith, Melinda D.; Burkepile, Deron E.; Hanan, Niall P; Avolio, Meghan L.; Collins, Scott L.; Knapp, Alan K.; Lemoine, Nathan P.; Forrestel, Elisabeth J.; Stephanie Eby; Thompson, Dave I.; Aguado-Santacruz, Gerardo A.; Anderson, John P.; Anderson, T. Michael; Angassa, Ayana; Bagchi, Sumanta; Bakker, Elisabeth S.; Bastin, Gary; Baur, Lauren E.; Beard, Karen H.; Beever, Erik A.; Bohlen, Patrick J.; Boughton, Elizabeth H.; Canestro, Don; Cesa, Ariela; Chaneton, Enrique; Cheng, Jimin; D'Antonio, Carla M.; Deleglise, Claire; Dembele, Fadiala; Dorrough, Josh; Eldridge, David J.; Fernandez-Going, Barbara; Fernández-Lugo, Silvia; Fraser, Lauchlan H.; Freedman, Bill; Garcia-Salgado, Gonzalo; Goheen, Jacob R.; Guo, Liang; Husheer, Sean; Karembé, Moussa; Knops, Johannes M. H.; Kraaij, Tineke; Kulmatiski, Andrew; Kytöviita, Minna-Maarit; Lezama, Felipe; Loucougaray, Gregory; Loydi, Alejandro; Milchunas, Daniel G.; Milton, Suzanne J.; Morgan, John W.; Moxham, Claire; Nehring, Kyle C.; Olff, Han; Palmer, Todd M.; Rebollo, Salvador; Riginos, Corinna; Risch, Anita C.; Rueda, Marta; Sankaran, Mahesh; Sasaki, Takehiro; Schoenecker, Kathryn A.; Schultz, Nick L.; Schütz, Martin; Schwabe, Angelika; Siebert, Frances; Smit, Christian; Stahlheber, Karen A.; Storm, Christian; Strong, Dustin J.; Su, Jishuai; Tiruvaimozhi, Yadugiri V.; Tyler, Claudia; Val, James; Vandegehuchte, Martijn L.; Veblen, Kari E.; Vermeire, Lance; Ward, David; Wu, Jianshuang; Young, Truman P.; Yu, Qiang; Zelikova, Tamara J.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2018
Testing infrared camera surveys and distance analyses to estimate feral horse abundance in a known population
We tested the use of high‐resolution infrared (IR) camera technology and distance sampling analyses to estimate abundance of feral horses (Equus caballus) during 2015–2016 in the McCullough Peaks Herd Management Area, Wyoming, USA. Infrared technology is becoming more common in ungulate population monitoring. The quality of IR cameras now allows...
Schoenecker, Kathryn A.; Doherty, Paul Jr.; Hourt, Jacob; Romero, JohnAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2018
Development of an aerial population survey method for elk (Cervus elaphus) in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Executive SummarySince the early 1990s, substantial effort and funding have been expended to conduct research to guide development of a 20-year Elk and Vegetation Management Plan for Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in Colorado. One goal of the plan is to maintain the elk (Cervus elaphus) population size at the lower end of the natural range of...
Schoenecker, Kathryn A.; Lubow, Bruce C.; Johnson, Therese L.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Schoenecker, K.A., Lubow, B.C., and Johnson, T.L., 2018, Development of an aerial population survey method for elk (Cervus elaphus) in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Open–File Report 2018–1085, 45 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181085.
Year Published: 2018
Long-term persistence of horse fecal DNA in the environment makes equids particularly good candidates for non-invasive sampling
Fecal DNA collected noninvasively can provide valuable information about genetic and ecological characteristics. This approach has rarely been used for equids, despite the need for conservation of endangered species and management of abundant feral populations. We examined factors affecting the efficacy of using equid fecal samples for...
King, Sarah R.B.; Schoenecker, Kathryn A.; Fike, Jennifer A.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2018
Perissodactyla diet
Perissodactyla (Schoch 1989) includes tapirs, rhinoceros, wild asses, horses, and zebras. It is the order of hoofed mammals referred to as “odd-toed ungulates” because its members have one to three weight-bearing toes and walk on hoofs or “ungules.” They are herbivores that are specialized to exploit grasslands and brushy habitat (rhinos, horses,...
Schoenecker, Kathryn A.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Schoenecker K.A. (2018) Perissodactyla Diet. In: Vonk J., Shackelford T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham
Year Published: 2018
Effects of feral horse herds on plant communities across a precipitation gradient
Feral horses are widespread in the western United States, with the majority of feral horse herds found in the Great Basin. There is a federal mandate to manage these herds in order to maintain “ecological balance”; however, understanding of the specific effects of feral horse grazing on rangeland plant communities in this region is incomplete. To...
Baur, Lauren E.; Schoenecker, Kathryn A.; Smith, Melinda D.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2016
Habitat and diet of equids
In this chapter, we present information from studies of equids and their habitat use across various habitat types. We provide a synthesis of the scientific literature on equid habitat selection, home range, and movements, water needs, and diet.
Schoenecker, Kathryn A.; Sarah R.B. King; Megan K. Nordquist; Dejid Nandintsetseg; Quing CaoAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Pre-USGS Publications
Schoenecker, K.A., and P.R. Krausman. 2002. Human Disturbance in Bighorn Sheep Habitat, Pusch Ridge Wilderness, Arizona. Arizona-Nevada Academy of Sciences. 34(1) 63-68.
Schoenecker, K.A., and P.R. Krausman. 2002. Human disturbance in bighorn sheep habitat, Pusch Ridge Wilderness, Arizona. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science. 34(1): 63-68.