I measured three variables of coyote-food base relationships in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, during t he period Jul y, 1973, to July, 1975. Field work provided estimates of relative coyote and prey abundance as well as observations on coyote feeding behavior during winter. Laboratory analysis of 1,500 coyote scats reveal ed feeding patterns while feeding trials with captive coyotes allowed refinement in interpretation of scat analysis. Deer mice and chipmunks comprised most of the rodent biomass captured in traps in the fall, while ground squirrels accounted for much of the rodent biomass in the spring. Field voles declined from 1973 to 1974 throughout much of the study area. Northern pocket gophers, field voles, and Uinta ground squirrels were the principal foods in the May-October diet of coyotes. They fed primarily upon ungulate carrion during winter. Because substantial differences in weight between adult and juvenile ground squirrels and pocket gophers make age classification important in calculating biomass, I developed a technique for identifying age classes based upon measurements of tooth remains in coyote scats. Feeding trials with captive coyotes indicated that heavier prey are detected in scats more often than lighter ones. Differences in weight multiplied by differences in detectability for the three principal rodents varied by factors of 1.1 to 2.6. Carrion from hunter-killed and winter-killed elk supplied food for coyotes from October to May. The abundance and temporal availability of carrion varied substantially between areas. Up to six-fold differences in coyote population indices occurred between areas. These differences were attributed primarily to differences in the amount of ungulate carrion available during winter. The possible influence of nutrition upon coyote natality, mortality, and movements are contemplated.

Historians have long recognized the tendency of communities to embrace tourism when extractive practices like agriculture, mining, and ranching fail as a dominant economic strategy. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is a prime example of this phenomenon in the American West. From its origins as a Mormon farming community in the late-nineteenth century, the valley evolved into an extensively developed tourist mecca by the end of the next. While this industry was initially supported by hotel-dwelling auto tourists, by the 1960s wealthy second-home buyers began to descend on Jackson Hole, buying up scenic property and constructing vacation homes. Over the next few decades these neo-natives moved to the valley by the hundreds, initiating dramatic economic, physical, and social consequences which were a direct product of the pace, pattern, and location of development. This thesis explores that relationship, making extensive use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to identify spatial themes of development in an effort to enlighten historical themes of Jackson Hole's rapidly changing landscape. On a basic level, this process presents a local history of tourist development in Jackson Hole between 1967 and 2002, documenting where development occurred and the consequences and controversy that resulted. Its greater contribution, however, is methodological. The use of GIS as a tool of historical research is still in its infancy, and this project suggests another application of the technique involving the spatial integration of historical and contemporary data. Together, these contributions create an informative and inventive examination of Jackson Hole tourism that expands the potential of historical research.

Small isolated populations are of particular conservation interest due to their increased extinction risk. This dissertation investigates two small wild bird populations using genetic approaches to inform their conservation. Specifically, one case study investigated a Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) population located in northwest Wyoming near Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park. Microsatellite data showed that the Jackson sage-grouse population possessed significantly reduced levels of neutral genetic diversity and was isolated from other Wyoming populations. Analysis with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and microsatellite data provided further evidence that the population's timing of isolation was relatively recent and most likely due to recent anthropogenic habitat changes. Conservation recommendations include maintaining or increasing the population's current size and reestablishing gene flow with the nearest large population. The second case study investigated the genetic distinctiveness of the Floreana island population of the Galápagos Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus galapagoensis). Mitochondrial DNA sequence data did not detect differences across nine island populations, yet microsatellite and morphometric data indicated that limited gene flow existed with the population and surrounding island populations, which appeared asymmetric in direction from Floreana to Santa Cruz with no indication of gene flow into Floreana. These results have important conservation implications and recommend that the Floreana Short-eared Owl population be held in captivity during the rodenticide application planned for an ecosystem restoration project in 2018. The population is less likely to receive immigrants from surrounding island populations if negatively effected by feeding on poisoned rodents.