1997, Warren 1997). Controlling suburban deer
populations through techniques such as hunting or
sharpshooting is often cost prohibitive or socially
unacceptable to residents. On Kiawah, however,
the high rate of bobcat predation on fawns currently eliminates the need for active deer population
management. Because this natural control of
Kiawah’s deer population is economically, environmentally, and socially beneficial to the island and
its residents, maintenance of this predator-prey
relationship is a primary goal of island stakeholders.
Though apex predators and skilled hunters, bobcats
have caused very few human-wildlife conflicts and
are generally viewed favorably by island residents,
who occasionally see the cats strolling across lawns
or even dozing on decks. “Most of us appreciate them
because they’re very important to deer control,” says
Jim Chitwood, chair of the Conservancy’s Environmental Science Committee. “They’re very interesting
animals, and they let us know that we still have great
wildlife and natural habitat on the island.”
To help sustain its healthy bobcat population, in
2003 the Conservancy joined with the Town of
Kiawah Island to fund our bobcat research. We designed studies to investigate bobcat ecology—habitat
use, movement rates, interactions, survival, reproduction, and home range—in a suburban landscape.
To collect the data, we radio-monitored 16 bobcats
on Kiawah Island in 2004 and 2005 (Roberts 2007),
and monitored 23 additional bobcats using GPS-enabled collars from 2007 through 2009. We also
developed a GIS-based modified habitat suitability
index model, which helps prioritize parcels in terms
of their ecological benefit to bobcats and associated
wildlife (Roberts et al. 2010).
Our data show that bobcats heavily utilize maritime and salt shrub habitats. Certain locales—such
as high-use patches where bobcat movements are
restricted by aquatic features—are very important
for movement between portions of the island. In
addition, the cats typically locate their dens in large
(greater than two hectares) undeveloped patches
of maritime forest or shrub habitat, indicating that
future development and habitat fragmentation in
these areas could impact bobcat reproduction.
This information about important bobcat habitat
and movement patterns enables the Kiawah Conservancy to focus its preservation efforts on specific
properties that will provide the greatest benefit to
bobcats and other habitat-associated wildlife species. The group has given the highest preservation
priority to three types of properties: undeveloped
parcels that contain large amounts of shrub habitat;
undeveloped parcels in heavily used habitat areas;
and undeveloped parcels with shrub habitat that adjoin un-platted tracts of land, where lot preservation
would create larger contiguous undeveloped areas.
Using bobcat data to prioritize high-value sites for conservation makes good economic sense. Property values
on Kiawah Island are extremely high. In a recent online
search of available, undeveloped properties, prices
ranged from approximately $900,000 per hectare to
more than $20 million per hectare—making it difficult
for a non-profit group to conserve large quantities of
land. From 1997 to 2003, the Conservancy was only
able to protect habitat on four properties: One was
purchased, two were donated, and one was protected
by conservation easement. The four lots totaled less
than 2. 5 hectares.
a tiny captive appears
ready for war on
Kiawah, where
biologists often find
kittens within a few
days of birth. Most
bobcat dens occur in
undeveloped patches of
maritime forest or dense
shrub habitat, making
these areas key targets
of preservation for the
Kiawah island natural
habitat Conservancy.
Credit: James D. Jordan
Enlisting the Help of an Icon
To prioritize land for conservation and boost public
interest and fundraising success, the Conservancy
used not only our bobcat research data, but also the
charismatic image of the bobcat itself.
In 2004 the group hosted its first “Bobcat Ball” to
educate islanders about the link between bobcats
and the ecological health of the island. What started
as a “friend raiser” has become a successful annual
“fundraiser” and the social event of the year, says
Donna Windham, Executive Director of the Conservancy. The Ball includes an “adopt-a-bobcat”
auction, giving guests the opportunity to “adopt”
one of the island’s radio-collared bobcats. The
Coauthor
Affiliations
James D. Jordan
is Wildlife Biologist
with the town of
Kiawah island,
South Carolina.
Pete Bettinger,
Ph.D., is Professor
of landscape Planning and harvest
Scheduling in the
Warnell School
of forestry and
natural Resources
at the University of
Georgia.
Robert J. Warren,
Ph.D., is Meigs
Professor of
Wildlife ecology
and Management in
the Warnell School
of forestry and
natural Resources
at the University of
Georgia.
