The Big Picture

Pronghorn antelope are one of the only remaining large animals endemic to the Great Plains. Running at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour, they are also North America’s fastest land mammals. One herd has been shown to undertake the continent’s second longest migration (of up to 500 miles roundtrip). Because they cover so much ground and therefore require large areas of intact prairie, pronghorn are a great “indicator species”. By studying the effect human activity has on pronghorn migration patterns, behavior and habitat selection, scientists can assess these effects on other prairie species as well. Furthermore, studying pronghorn migration on the Great Plains contributes to a body of research about long distance migrations, one of the most endangered phenomena worldwide.

Project to Date

Near American Prairie Reserve in northeastern Montana, World Wildlife Fund, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, University of Calgary, Bureau of Land Management and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, in a collaborative, trans-boundary, multi-year effort, are studying the migration of pronghorn from northern Montana into southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. Specifically, these partners are interested in the ecological impact of human activities, such as oil and gas development, roadway building, windmill development and other activities that lead to fragmentation of the pronghorn’s prairie habitat.

The team of scientists studies pronghorn by capturing them on their winter range on lands around American Prairie Reserve in order to fit them with GPS (global positioning system) radio collars. The animal’s location is broadcast to the collar by satellite every four hours and the data is stored in the collar, which drops off after 52 weeks. With a year’s worth of data on pronghorn movements, scientists are able to review not only the daily movements and annual migrations of the animal, but also the types of obstacles they faced along the way.

During severe winters, such as those that have effected the region in the last two years, pronghorn have moved south from their winter range along the Milk River to winter ranges on and near the APR. This migration demonstrates the great value of the Reserve as a critical winter habitat for pronghorn and the importance of the work of American Prairie Foundation in conserving a large landscape of native prairie.

View footage of scientists in action at: www.americanprairie.org/sights.html

Next Steps

The information downloaded from the GPS collars will help scientists understand the cumulative impact of human development on the prairie landscape and its wildlife. It will also help create a conservation model for the region, which will influence future land use planning decisions to minimize human impact on this migratory species. This model will inform the development of American Prairie Reserve, along with other private and public landholdings in the region.