GIS modeling of elk calving habitat in a prairie environment with statistics

In 1981, elk were first introduced to the prairie environment of the Cimarron National Grassland in Kansas. The lack of information regarding critical elk habitat in the prairie and the demand for integrated land use necessitated elk habitat studies in the grassland. A logistic regression model was developed to assess the relationship between observed calving sites and a set of biophysical and anthropogenic habitat variables. A GIS was used to solicit spatial information and implement the logistic model to predict the spatial distribution of calving probabilities in the grassland. Seep pits, the man-made water supply facilities along the river corridor, and cottonwood and salt cedar in the riparian areas were found statistically significant in explaining elk calving habitat; in contrast, highways and improved gravel roads appear to affect calving habitat in a negative fashion. The results also suggested possible adaptation of elk to human disturbance.