This research was conducted by Joël Potié, a Master’s student with McGill University.  Joël’s thesis was completed in 2020.  It is available for download as a pdf here: Sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) in a resource development area at the northern edge of the species’ range.

Sharp-tailed Grouse (credit: Joël Potié)

The goal of this project was to provide baseline ecological information on Sharp-tailed Grouse in the Klondike Goldfields, near Dawson City, Yukon.  The project examined Sharp-tailed Grouse range, population dynamics, abundance, survival, reproductive success, and nesting and brooding habitat use in relation to habitat characteristics and land-use disturbances.  The project was conducted between 2015 and 2017.

Supervisory Committee:

Dr. Kathryn Aitken, School of Science, Yukon University and Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Committee Member

Dr. Murray Humphries, McGill University, Supervisor

Mike Suitor, North Slope and Migratory Caribou Biologist, Yukon Government, Committee Member

Project Funders:

This research was supported by Yukon University’s Scholarly Activity Grant (previously the Yukon College Research Fund), Yukon Government Department of Environment, Yukon Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Trust, Dawson District Renewable Resources Council, Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act Implementation Fund, NSERC-CREATE Environmental Innovation training and research program, and McGill University.