Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel - Kyle Rosenthal

Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel

 (Spermophilus brunneus brunneus)

Kyle Rosenthal 

Ecology and Habitat 

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The northern Idaho ground squirrel (Spermophilus brunneus brunneus) is 1 of 2 subspecies of the Idaho ground squirrel.

This species is a relatively small member of the Spermphilus genus with mean lengths of the male and female amounting to 9.2 inches and 8.9 inches, respectively. They have a dark reddish-gray fur on their dorsal and reddish-brown spots on their coat. This ground squirrel has a short tail, tan feet and ears, grey-brown throat, and an off-white eye ring (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

These little creatures live in dry meadows at elevations ranging from 1000-1700 meters. The meadows of grasses and forbs are surrounded by ponderosa pine or Douglas-fir forest with a mixture of shallow and deep soils to accommodate nest burrows (Idaho Department of Fish and Game).

Primarily herbivorous, the majority of the northern Idaho ground squirrel’s diet consists of grasses, dicot leaves, flowers, roots, bulbs, and seeds. However, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service provided that some of their diet also includes various insects.

These squirrels have an average life span of less than 5 years and reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 years of age. Their courtship occurs above ground once the females emerge from their 8 month hibernation in the early spring, but the actual copulations occur underground (Vang). These females produce one litter per year.

Geographic and Population Changes

The northern Idaho ground squirrel is one of the most geographically restricted mammals in North America and is endemic to Adams and Valley counties. Its historic range extends into neighboring Washington County (Idaho Department of Fish and Game).

http://www.worldatlas.com/na/us/id/c-adams-county-idaho.html

The habitat fragmentation allowed the number of inhabited sites to grow, which caused the overall population to decrease significantly. The numbers in the table below are provided by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

	Number of inhabited sites	Overall Population
1985	18	5000
2002	29	450-500

Due to the limited geographic range, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has focused efforts on metapopulation sites within their historic probable range including sites in the image below. 

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/274279058_fig1_FIGURE-1-Map-of-the-7-sites-black-dots-occupied-by-the-Northern-Idaho-Ground-Squirrel

Status

It was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act on April 5, 2000.

Cause of Listing and Main Threats for Continued Existence 

Fire suppression allowed forests to encroach into the meadow habitat, reducing the habitat size and closing dispersal corridors. Land conversions and changes in grazing regimes have resulted in poorer quality food plants that are unable to provide the nutritional value squirrels need to sustain their full hibernation (Idaho Department of Fish and Game).  Potential threats for their future existence include competition with the Columbian ground squirrel, poisoning, and shooting. The most preventable threats facing this species are residential construction and development of recreational facilities such as golf courses.

Recovery Plan

In order to recover the northern Idaho ground squirrel, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service listed the needed actions following:

1. Restore and Maintain Habitat: This includes thinning, burning, reseeding, and livestock grazing of the land. They also suggest developing site-specific management plans for primary metapopulation sites. 
2. Conduct Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel Population Actions: The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service would like to translocate the squirrels into existing populations in order to increase genetic diversity. Reintroduction within the probable historic range is another suggestion. The other actions they want to pursue in order to control populations include captive breeding, law enforcement, predator management, and competitor management. 
3. Monitor Habitat and Populations: This step focuses on the ecological succession and outcome of the habitat restoration actions to assess the effectiveness of the Fish & Wildlife’s actions. They will focus on monitoring the ground squirrel population and conducting ground squirrel surveys to see how successful the recovery strategies are. 
4. Coordinate the Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel Recovery Program: In this step, they would like to establish an interagency program coordinator to help integrate ongoing programs, seek funding, develop grant proposals, and promote research and education opportunities. 

What can you do?

One of the best ways you can help in saving the northern Idaho ground squirrel is by spreading the word to others. People need to be educated on the issues facing this species in order to help them. Another way to save this species and allow them to receive the proper resources to survive is by donating. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as well as the Idaho Department of Fish and Game both play significant roles in monitoring these squirrels. Links to their websites are provided below:

https://www.fws.gov

https://idfg.idaho.gov

Other Resources 

Nature Serve Explorer: 

http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Urocitellus+brunneus

FWS Digital Media Library:

http://digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/search/searchterm/Northern%20Idaho%20Ground%20Squirrel/order/nosort

Works Cited

Idaho Department of Fish and Game. "Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel." Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Species Profile for Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel (Urocitellus Brunneus)." Species Profile for Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel (Urocitellus Brunneus). Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Recovery Plan for the Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel." Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

Vang, Naly. "Idaho Ground Squirrel." Animal Diversity Web. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

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