BLACK BEAR MOVEMENTS AND HABITAT USE RELATIVE TO ROADS IN OCALA NATIONAL FOREST

Ocala National Forest (ONF), one of the largest and most important habitats for bears in Florida, is located in a heavily populated and rapidly growing area. The Ocala bear population has accounted for 45% of the state's vehicle-caused mortality from 1976-2003. Eight of the 15 chronic roadkill problem areas are in this area, and SR-40 had the greatest number of mortalities. Because ONF is bisected by SR-40 and contains other roads of varying use intensities, it provides an opportunity to assess the impacts of road mortality upon this population and to document bear movements, highway crossing patterns and behaviors associated with a range of traffic levels. This study was designed to provide information useful for advancing roadway design, placement, improvement, and maintenance with regard to black bear conservation and management in ONF and other bear populations throughout Florida. Specific goals were to: determine habitat use, movement patterns, and home range of bears captured in the vicinity of SR-40; provide abundance estimates of bears within the study area portion of ONF; determine survival rates of adult bears captured in the vicinity of SR-40; locate and analyze the characteristics of sites where bears cross SR-40 within the study area; survey the relative abundance and availability of common bear foods in ONF; and synthesize these data to provide recommendations for reducing the impacts of roads on bears in ONF. Currently, SR-40 does not present an obstacle to bears moving across SR-40 in ONF. At current traffic levels bear mortality associated with SR-40 in ONF is sustainable by this population of bears. However, human impacts upon the Florida landscape have seldom remained stable and there is little reason to believe that traffic volumes won't increase significantly during the lifespan of this road. Perhaps the only way to completely alleviate the effects of SR-40 on bears as well as all other terrestrial species within the forest would be to elevate the highway through ONF entirely. In effect, this would create a forest-wide wildlife underpass. This scenario would present a tremendous challenge to those who design or finance state highway construction and create conflicts with forest users. Nonetheless, the need to address the bear mortality and genetic isolation created by this highway will become critical in the near future before traffic volume in ONF increases significantly above current levels.