570 items found

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ID: Rabbit tapeworms
Rabbit tapeworms
Type: 
Subjects: 
Item 

        Rabbit tapeworms    

                                    

ID: Rabies
Rabies
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        Rabies    

                                    

ID: Rachel Smiley, Wildlife Research Scientist
Rachel Smiley, Wildlife Research Scientist
Type: 
Subjects: 
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        Rachel Smiley, Wildlife Research Scientist    

                    Description:Current Research Projects
Elk Abundance
Development and validation methods to estimate abundance of elk
Areas of Interest and Expertise​
My research focuses on understanding the drivers of population dynamics of ungulates, with an emphasis on nutritional and disease ecology. I am interested in evaluating how stressors and responses to stressors influence fitness at the individual level — and ultimately how that scales up to shape population-level responses. I take approaches from physiology, to behavioral ecology, to population ecology to address questions that will ultimately benefit management. I also have an interest in developing and evaluating new tools and methods for studying and understanding animals.
Select Publications
Abernathy, H. N., R. L. Levine, Y. N. Shakeri, J. T. Kolek, B. L. Wagler, R. A. Smiley, R. P. Jakopak, M. J. Brunet, R. T. Rafferty, S. T. Rankins, K. S. Huggler, B. Scurlock, J. Randall, D. Lutz, A. B. Courtemanch, T. N. LaSharr, S. P. H. Dwinnell, L. E. Tafelmeyer, P. W. Burke, P. Lionberger, M. Valdez, G. L. Fralick, D. McWhirter, and K. L. Monteith. 2025. Temperament and state-dependent behaviours in large herbivores. Animal Behaviour 221:123056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2024.123056
Argov, J. R., N. B. Michaels, R. A. Smiley, B. L. Wagler, J. N. Gavin, A. B. Courtemanch, D. Clause, R. C. Kaiser, D. Lutz, B. Scurlock, and K. L. Monteith. 2024. Prediction of birthdates based on fetal development in Bighorn Sheep ( Ovis canadensis ). R. Reyna, editor. Journal of Mammalogy 105:1151–1156. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae082
Malmberg, J. L., S. E. Allen, J. E. Jennings-Gaines, M. Johnson, K. L. Luukkonen, K. M. Robbins, T. E. Cornish, R. A. Smiley, B. L. Wagler, Z. Gregory, D. Lutz, P. Hnilicka, K. L. Monteith, and W. H. Edwards. 2024. Pathology of chronic mycoplasma ovipneumoniae carriers in a declining bighorn sheep (ovis canadensis) population. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 60. https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-23-00132Smiley, R. A., B. L. Wagler, W. H. Edwards, J. Jennings-Gaines, K. Luukkonen, K. Robbins, M. Johnson, A. B. Courtemanch, T. W. Mong, D. Lutz, D. McWhirter, J. L. Malmberg, B. Lowrey, and K. L. Monteith. 2024. Infection–nutrition feedbacks: fat supports pathogen clearance but pathogens reduce fat in a wild mammal. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 291:20240636. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.0636
Wagler, B. L., R. A. Smiley, A. B. Courtemanch, D. Lutz, D. McWhirter, D. Brimeyer, P. Hnilicka, and K. L. Monteith. 2024. Disparate home range dynamics reflect nutritional inadequacies on summer range for a large herbivore. Ecosphere 15:e4864. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4864
Levine, R. L., Rachel A Smiley, Jesmer, Brett R., Oates, Brendan A., Goheen, Jacob R., Stephenson, Thomas R., Kauffman, Matthew J., and Montetih, Kevin L. 2023. Extending body condition scoring beyond measureable rump fat to estimate full range of nutritional condition for moose. Alces 58:91–99. https://alcesjournal.org/index.php/alces/article/view/1883Tucker, M. A., …R. A. Smiley, …and T. Mueller. 2023. Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns. Science 380:1059–1064. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abo6499
Wagler, B. L., R. A. Smiley, A. B. Courtemanch, D. Lutz, D. McWhirter, D. Brimeyer, P. Hnilicka, T. J. Robinson, and K. L. Monteith. 2023. Implications of forage quality for population recovery of bighorn sheep following a pneumonia epizootic. The Journal of Wildlife Management 87:e22452. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22452
Smiley, R. A., T. N. LaSharr, H. N. Abernathy, Y. N. Shakeri, R. L. Levine, S. T. Rankins, R. P. Jakopak, R. T. Rafferty, J. T. Kolek, B. L. Wagler, S. P. H. Dwinnell, T. J. Robinson, J. E. Randall, R. C. Kaiser, M. Thonhoff, B. Scurlock, T. Fieseler, G. L. Fralick, and K. L. Monteith. 2022. Biomarkers of animal nutrition: from seasonal to lifetime indicators of environmental conditions. Life 12:375. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12030375
Smiley, R. A., B. L. Wagler, T. N. LaSharr, K. A. Denryter, T. R. Stephenson, A. B. Courtemanch, T. W. Mong, D. Lutz, D. McWhirter, D. Brimeyer, P. Hnilicka, B. Lowrey, and K. L. Monteith. 2022. Heterogeneity in risk‐sensitive allocation of somatic reserves in a long‐lived mammal. Ecosphere 13:e4161. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4161Wagler, B. L., R. A. Smiley, A. B. Courtemanch, G. Anderson, D. Lutz, D. McWhirter, D. Brimeyer, P. Hnilicka, C. P. Massing, D. W. German, T. R. Stephenson, and K. L. Monteith. 2022. Effects of helicopter net‐gunning on survival of bighorn sheep. The Journal of Wildlife Management 86:e22181. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22181
Smiley, R. A., C. D. Rittenhouse, T. W. Mong, and K. L. Monteith. 2020. Assessing nutritional condition of mule deer using a photographic index. Wildlife Society Bulletin 44:208–213. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1070
 Education
Ph.D., Ecology – University of Wyoming, 2025
B.S., Natural Resources –​ University of Connecticut, 2017 
Contact Information
317 W. Prospect Rd.​Fort Collins, CO 80526
Email: rachel.smiley@stat​e.co.us​

Phone: ​970-672-9256 [show more]                

ID: Rainbow trout fry investigations
Rainbow trout fry investigations
Type: Fact Sheet
Subjects: Rainbow trout
Spawning
Fry
Population management
Item 

        Rainbow trout fry investigations    
Type:Fact Sheet
Subject:Rainbow trout
Spawning
Fry
Population management

                    Description:Rainbow Trout are spring spawners, and deposit their eggs in gravel at sites known as redds. The eggs hatch in 4-7 weeks depending on water temperature. After hatching, fish spend up to two weeks as sac fry, remaining in the gravel and absorbing their yolk sac. Once the yolk sac is absorbed, the fry emerge from the gravel to begin feeding. Fry spend the first several months of their life in shallow areas found along the river margins, using vegetation and interstitial spaces between rocks as cover from predators. During this time, they are also easily sampled to estimate population size. Changes in the fry population over time can indicate whether factors such as water quality, flow, temperature, or presence of parasites are affecting survival. Additionally, fry estimates conducted later in the year can be indicative of the number of fish that will recruit to the juvenile and adult populations. Finding ways to increase fry survival in rivers has been the focus of many CPW aquatic research projects. [show more]                

ID: Rainbow trout production
Rainbow trout production
Type: 
Subjects: 
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        Rainbow trout production    

                                    

ID: Rainbow Trout Stocking Evaluations Fact Sheet
Rainbow Trout Stocking Evaluations Fact Sheet

Type: 
Subjects: 
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        Rainbow Trout Stocking Evaluations Fact Sheet

ID: Rapid proliferation of the parasitic copepod, Salmincola

californiensis (Dana), on kokanee salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), in a large Colorado reservoir
Rapid proliferation of the parasitic copepod, Salmincola

californiensis (Dana), on kokanee salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), in a large Colorado reservoir
Type: Article
Subjects: Gill lice
Intensity
Invasion
Maturity
Prevalence
Item 

        Rapid proliferation of the parasitic copepod, Salmincola

californiensis (Dana), on kokanee salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), in a large Colorado reservoir    
Type:Article
Subject:Gill lice
Intensity
Invasion
Maturity
Prevalence

                    Description:Ecologically and economically valuable Pacific salmon and trout (Oncorhynchus spp.) are widespread and susceptible to the ectoparasite Salmincola californiensis (Dana). The range of this freshwater copepod has expanded, and in 2015, S. californiensis was observed in Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado, USA, an important kokanee salmon (O. nerka, Walbaum) egg source for sustaining fisheries. Few S. californiensis were detected on kokanee salmon in 2016 (<10% prevalence; 2 adult S. californiensis maximum). By 2020, age-3 kokanee salmon had 100% S. californiensis prevalence and mean intensity exceeding 50 adult copepods. Year and kokanee salmon age/maturity (older/mature) were consistently identified as significant predictors of S. californiensis prevalence/intensity. There was evidence that S. californiensis spread rapidly, but their population growth was maximized at the initiation (the first 2–3 years) of the invasion. Gills and heads of kokanee salmon carried the highest S. californiensis loads. S. californiensis population growth appears to be slowing, but S. californiensis expansion occurred concomitant with myriad environmental/biological factors. These factors and inherent variance in S. californiensis count data may have obscured patterns that continued monitoring of parasite–host dynamics, when S. californiensis abundance is more stable, might reveal. The rapid proliferation of S. californiensis indicates that in 5 years a system can go from a light infestation to supporting hosts carrying hundreds of parasites, and concern remains about the sustainability of this kokanee salmon population. [show more]                

ID: Raptor data integration, species distribution, and suggestions for monitoring
Raptor data integration, species distribution, and suggestions for monitoring
Type: Text
Subjects: Birds of prey
Wildlife management
Item 

        Raptor data integration, species distribution, and suggestions for monitoring    
Type:Text
Subject:Birds of prey
Wildlife management

                    Description:Where they exist, raptor monitoring databases have generated important insights into various aspects of raptor ecology, and can provide a sound foundation for specific management priorities for individual species or within the larger context of managing targeted habitats and ecosystems (Greenwood 2007). CPW has a statewide raptor nest database, developed by Bob Sacco (GIS Unit), which currently contains records for ~9,000 nest records going back to the 1970s. Currently, the nest database is primarily being used by CPW at a site-specific scale in the oil and gas comment process (CO House Bill 1298) and other local-scale land use input. The potential of this database to assess raptor populations at regional or statewide scales, and the field protocols used to provide records for this database, have not been thoroughly assessed. Other data sources have potential to contribute to our understanding of Colorado raptors, including eBird, Breeding Bird Survey, and Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas. By exploring the possibility of integrating these various datasets, we hope to generate a more comprehensive picture of raptor abundance and occupancy across the state, with the eventual goal being to provide a more concrete understanding of raptor population trends for management purposes. [show more]                

ID: Razorback sucker spawning in an intermittent Colorado tributary
Razorback sucker spawning in an intermittent Colorado tributary
Type: Article
Subjects: Razorback Suckers
<em>Xyrauchen texanus</em>
Colorado River basin
Reproduction
PIT-tagged
Item 

        Razorback sucker spawning in an intermittent Colorado tributary    
Type:Article
Subject:Razorback Suckers
<em>Xyrauchen texanus</em>
Colorado River basin
Reproduction
PIT-tagged

                    Description:Endangered and endemic Razorback Suckers Xyrauchen texanus of the Colorado River basin largely spawn in main-stem rivers and reservoirs. While documenting other native fish use of two intermittent tributaries of the Gunnison River, Colorado, USA, we detected PIT-tagged Razorback Suckers during the 2015–2019 spawning seasons (April–June) and captured reproductively ready individuals. Because the species is rarely documented in small tributaries, we highlight this occurrence. Prior to 2019, up to 30 individual Razorback Suckers were detected annually in Roubideau Creek, a tributary to the Gunnison River near Delta, Colorado. In 2019, use increased as we detected 110 individual Razorback Suckers in Roubideau Creek, and, for the first time, we handled or detected seven in Cottonwood Creek. These fish represented multiple age-classes of hatchery-reared fish repatriated to the Gunnison River to aid recovery. We collected and identified 1,171 larval catostomids from Cottonwood Creek, but none were Razorback Suckers, and even though ripe adults were collected, it remains unclear if reproduction occurred. We suspect that high runoff in 2019 drove increased use of the system. Presence of Razorback Suckers in five consecutive years indicated that intermittent tributaries might be of greater importance than previously thought for this species, and these streams warrant further investigation and protection. [show more]                

ID: Rebuilding Flood-damaged Diversion Structures to Benefit Multiple Uses
Rebuilding Flood-damaged Diversion Structures to Benefit Multiple Uses

Type: 
Subjects: 
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        Rebuilding Flood-damaged Diversion Structures to Benefit Multiple Uses