The researchers used data from 16 red wolves fitted with GPS collars between January 2009 and April 2011 to evaluate the home range size and habitat selection, road permeability and identify significant red wolf highway crossing locations. Home range size for red wolves averaged 13.7 square miles with no significant difference between males and females. Red wolf home ranges were larger during winter than during other seasons. Red wolves avoided wetter habitats such as pocosins, wetlands and lowland forests, leaving agriculture the best predictor of red wolf presence. Road permeability, calculated using GPS collar data, was 100%, thus the current 2-lane highway does not impose a barrier effect on the red wolf population. This increases the risk of road mortality events. Using a 3281 ft (1 km) buffer, construction north of the current U.S. 64 in Tyrell County has the potential to remove up to 0.16 square miles of red wolf habitat and 6% of the home range area used by a current red wolf pack while construction south will impact only 0.09 sqaure miles of red wolf habitat and will not displace any current red wolf packs. East of the Alligator River in Dare County, a widening of the current highway to the south has the potential to remove up to 0.07 square miles of red wolf habitat and 20% of the home range from the current road. Construction to the north of U.S. 64 in Dare County has the potential to remove up to 0.04 square miles of red wolf habitat and will not overlap with any current packs, based on 95% home ranges. Through the use of GPS collars and remote camera traps, we identified 5 important red wolf crossing locations, 4 in Tyrell County west of the Alligator River and one in Dare County east of the Alligator River. Four of the 5 red wolf crossing locations were identified as suitable for crossing structures.
