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Lagomorph Inventory at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve 2022 - Open Format Dataset

Metadata Updated: November 14, 2025

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus type 2 (RHDV2) has caused dramatic declines in rabbits and hares on several continents. Recent mortalities have been reported for several rabbit and hare species in the United States, suggesting broad susceptibility of lagomorphs. If this susceptibility extends to the American pika (Ochotona princeps), the most cold-adapted lagomorph, it could compound climate-mediated threats to this species. Due to climate change, American pikas are predicted to experience significant upslope range retraction during this century. To address this concern, we investigated spatial patterns of habitat use by pikas and other lagomorphs in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, which borders several counties that have reported RHDV2. In 2022, we surveyed 115 plots of pika habitats in the park, including 48 legacy plots from a pika survey conducted in 2010-2012. Our mean estimate of pika habitat occupancy was at least 95% during 2022 in GRSA, slightly higher than in 2010-2012. Leporid presence at these same plots was 48%. The best model of leporid presence supported a negative effect of elevation. Both models also included a positive effect of incoming solar radiation. Finally, we used our best models of pika habitat occupancy and leporid presence to map the potential for areas of contact and RHDV2 transmission between these taxa. Our results indicate some potential for contact within subalpine forests, specifically in the northern half of the park near the lower reach of the Sand Creek Trail and in the far south just north of California Peak.

Access & Use Information

Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

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Dates

Metadata Created Date September 12, 2025
Metadata Updated Date November 14, 2025

Metadata Source

Harvested from DOI NPS DCAT-US

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date September 12, 2025
Metadata Updated Date November 14, 2025
Publisher National Park Service
Maintainer
Identifier http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/nps-datastore-2304836
Data First Published 2024-07-08T00:00:00Z
Data Last Modified 2024-07-08T00:00:00Z
Category Data Package
Public Access Level public
Bureau Code 010:24
Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
Metadata Catalog ID https://ddi.doi.gov/nps-data.json
Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
Harvest Object Id 08c81fb6-1ee8-4bbc-9f81-682e58d9a493
Harvest Source Id d917c1a9-26b7-43ea-b8c5-c77ec750a850
Harvest Source Title DOI NPS DCAT-US
Homepage URL https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2304836
Program Code 010:119, 010:118
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash fb8ff171a2b2dbd0d6c63e67539c01ef655027ba9ddb5f2b497aa63354078033
Source Schema Version 1.1

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