Black Bear (Ursus americanus) Response to Rising Annual Temperatures in Sierra County, New Mexico

PAC Gym

The long-term increase in average global temperature is a pressing environmental issue with consequences for numerous species. Populations of American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) in semi-arid climates with seasonal rainfall and normally cold winters may be particularly susceptible to temperature increases due to water availability and disruption of normal periods of winter dormancy. We used 62 years of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) climate data, 1956 to 2018, and 10 years of trap camera data, 2008 to 2018, from Sierra County, New Mexico to answer three questions: (1) has there been a long-term increase in average annual temperature in Sierra County?; (2) has bear activity changed in our study site over the last decade? (3) what has been the relationship between black bear activity and temperature over the last decade? We found that between 1956 and 2018 average, annual maximum temperatures have been significantly increasing (F= 12.97; df= 57; p= 0.0006; R2-=0.171), that average annual bear photo rates have significantly decreased (F= 2.539; df= 37; p= 0.055), and that bear activity, as measured by average weekly photo rates, significantly increases with rising weekly temperatures (MAD= 0.01406; df= 51; p