Project Title: Use Existing Data on Beaver Populations to Improve Management Outcomes in Minnesota 2020 LCCMR Project Manager Qualifications and Organization Description I. QUALIFICATIONS Dr. Steve K. Windels has been a Research Wildlife Biologist at Voyageurs National Park, MN from 2003-present. He currently oversees research and monitoring projects on beavers, wolves, moose, and other wildlife species. Most relevant to the proposed project, he and his staff have successfully live-trapped and marked more than 1,200 individual beavers, mapped nearly 4,000 beaver lodges in the park and surrounding landscape, and captured more than 150,000 photographs of beavers using game cameras since 2004. He won the prestigious National Park Service Director's Award for Natural Resource Research in 2014. He is Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota. Education/Certification Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology, Michigan Technological University M.S. in Range and Wildlife Management, Texas A&M University - Kingsville B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Management, University of Minnesota Certified Wildlife Biologist by The Wildlife Society. Relevant Publications Johnson-Bice, S., K. Renik, S.K. Windels, and A. Hafs. 2018. A review of beaver-salmonid relationships and history of management actions in the Western Great Lakes (U.S.) Region. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. DOI: 10.1002/ nafm.10223 Gable, T.D., T. Stanger, J.K. Bump, and S.K. Windels. 2018. Do wolves ambush beavers? Video evidence for higher-order hunting strategies. Ecosphere 9(3):e02159. doi 10.1002/ecs2.2159 Gable, T.D., S.K. Windels, F. Rosell, and M. Romanski. 2018. The forgotten prey of an iconic predator: a review of gray wolf-beaver dynamics. Mammal Review 48:123-138. Windels, S.K. 2017. Beavers as Engineers of Wildlife Habitat. In Beavers: Boreal Ecosystem Engineers. Carol Johnston, ed. Springer-Verlaug Press. Gable, T.D., and S.K. Windels. 2017. Kill rates and predation rates of wolves on beavers. Journal of Wildlife Management. DOI 10.1002/jwmg.21387. Gable, T.D., S.K. Windels, J.G. Bruggink, and A.T. Homkes. 2016. Where and how wolves kill beavers. PLoS One 11(12). Smith, J.B., S.K. Windels, T. Wolf, R. Klaver, and J.L. Belant. 2016. Do transmitters affect fitness indices of American beavers (Castor canadensis)? Wildlife Biology 22:117-123. Windels, S.K., and J.L Belant. 2016. Performance of tail-mounted transmitters on American beavers Castor canadensis in a northern climate. Wildlife Biology 22:124-129. Johnston, C.L., and S.K. Windels. 2015. Using beaver works to estimate colony activity in boreal landscapes. Journal of Wildlife Management 79:1072-1080. Severud, W.J., J.L. Belant, S.K. Windels, and J.G. Bruggink. 2013. Seasonal variation in assimilated diets of American beavers. American Midland Naturalist 169:30-42. Severud, W.J., S.K. Windels, J.L. Belant, and J.G. Bruggink. 2013. The role of forage availability on diet choice and body condition in American beavers (Castor canadensis). Mammalian Biology 78: 87-93. Windels, S.K. 2013. Ear tag loss rates in American beavers. Wildlife Society Bulletin 38:122-126. Severud, W.J., J.L. Belant, J.G. Bruggink, and S.K. Windels. 2011. Predator cues reduce American beaver use of foraging trails. Human Wildife Interactions 5:296-305. II. RESPONSIBILITIES Dr. Windels will coordinate and manage the overall project, and directly supervise the term NPS biologist, who will implement the data analysis plan and be the primary author of peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Windels will also oversee all aspects of study design, analysis, and final reporting. III. ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION The mission of the National Park Service, celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2016, is "to preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations." Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota's only National Park, was established in 1975 to preserve the history and natural resources of the Border Lakes Region. In many ways, beavers are to Voyageurs National Park as wolves are to Yellowstone National Park, or wildebeest are to the Serengeti. They are an iconic wildlife species whose activity shapes both the ecological foundations of the park but also the experience of we humans who visit it. Voyageurs National Park presents a unique window into the past about the dramatic importance of beavers to shaping their environment, perhaps only on a scale equaled by humans. The National Park Service has a strong mission to promote the use of National Parks as natural laboratories to better understand the natural world.