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George M. Durner Title: Research Zoologist Address: 4210 University Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508-4626 Phone: (907) 786-7082 Fax: (907) 786-7150 Email: gdurner@usgs.gov

Education and/or Training

M.S.	1991	Frostburg State University, MD	Wildlife Biology
B.S.	1983	East Sroudsburg State University, PA	Biology/Environmental Studies

Areas of Specialization and/or Research Interests

Spatial pattern of polar bears relative to reproductive status, habitat and prey distribution.

Professional Experience

1991 - Present

Research Wildlife Biologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska

Professional Activities and/or Memberships

Present:
The Wildlife Society
The Cooper Ornithological Society
The Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
Past:
The Herpetological Society

Significant Recent Publications

Durner, G. M., S. C. Amstrup, and K. J. Ambrosius. 2005. Remote identification of polar bear maternal den habitat on the coastal plain of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alaska. ARCTIC, 00:000-000.

Amstrup, S.C., G.M. Durner, I. Stirling, and T.L. McDonald. 2005. Using radiotelemetry to allocate harvests among polar bear stocks occupying the Beaufort Sea region. ARCTIC 00:000-000.

Durner, G. M., S. C. Amstrup, R. Neilson, and T. McDonald. 2004. The use of sea ice habitat by female polar bears in the Beaufort Sea. U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska. OCS study, MMS 2004-014.

Durner, G. M., S. C. Amstrup, R. Nielson, and T. L. McDonald. 2004. Using discrete choice modeling to generate resource selection functions for female polar bears in the Beaufort Sea. Pages 107 – 120, in S. Huzurbazar, ed., Resource Selection Methods and Applications, proceedings of the 1st Conference on Resource Selection Modeling. January 2003, Laramie, Wyoming.

Amstrup, S. C., T. L. McDonald, and G. M. Durner. 2004. Using Satellite radio-telemetry data to delineate and manage wildlife populations. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 32(3): 661-679.

Durner, G. M., S. C. Amstrup, and A. S. Fischbach. 2003. Habitat characteristics of polar bear terrestrial maternal den sites in northern Alaska. ARCTIC. 56(1): 55-62.

Kern, J. W., T. L. McDonald, S. C. Amstrup, G. M. Durner, and W. P. Erickson. 2003. Using the bootstrap and fast fourier transform to estimate confidence intervals of 2-D kernel densities. Environmental and Ecological Statistics. 10:405-418.

Amstrup, S. C., G. M. Durner, A. S. Fischbach, K. Simac, and G. Weston-York. 2002. Polar Bear Research in the Beaufort Sea. In Proceedings of the Thirteenth working meeting of the IUCN Polar Bear Specialists Group, Nuuk, Greenland. Edited by N. J. Lunn, S. Schliebe, and E. W. Born. Occas. Pap. IUCN Spec. Surv. Comm. 26: 109-125.

Amstrup, S. C., G. M. Durner, A. S. Fischbach, K. Simac, and G. Weston-York. 2002. Polar Bear Research in the Beaufort Sea. Proceedings of the Bear Taxanomic Group Workshop on Ursids in Captivity. American Zoological Society Annual Meeting, Detroit, Michigan, April 27 - 29, 2001.

Amstrup, S. C., G. M. Durner, T. L. McDonald, D. M. Mulcahy, and G. W. Garner. 2001. Comparing movement patterns of satellite-tagged male and female polar bears. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 79:2147-2158.

Durner, G.M., S.C. Amstrup, and K.J. Ambrosius. 2001. Remote identification of polar bear maternal den habitat in northern Alaska. Arctic 54:115-121.

Amstrup, S. C., G. Durner, I. Stirling, N.J. Lunn, and F. Messier. 2000. Movements and distribution of polar bears in the Beaufort Sea. Can. J. Zool. 78:948 966.

Durner, G. M., S. C. Amstrup, and T. L. McDonald. 2000. Estimating the impacts of oil spills on polar bears. Arctic Research of the United States. Volume 14 (Fall/Winter): 33-37.

Amstrup, S. C., G. M.Durner, and T. L. McDonald. 2000. Volume III, Appendix J 1, Liberty Development and Production Plan. Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Minerals Management Service, Alaska Outer Continental Shelf Region, OCS EIS/EA MMS 2001-001

Amstrup, S. C., and G. M. Durner. 1999. Polar Bear Research in the Beaufort Sea. In Proceedings of the Twelfth working meeting of the IUCN Polar Bear Specialists Group, Oslo, Norway. Edited by A. E. Derocher. Occas. Pap. IUCN Spec. Surv. Comm. 19: 131-139.

Cronin, M. A., S. C. Amstrup, G. M. Durner, L. E. Noel, T. L. McDonald, and W. B. Ballard. 1998. Caribou distribution during the post-calving period in relation to infrastructue in the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field, Alaska. Arctic. 51(2):85-93).

Durner, G. M., and S. C. Amstrup. 1996. Mass and body-dimension relationships of polar bears in northern Alaska. Wildlife Society Bulletin 24(3):480-484.

Amstrup, S. C., G. W. Garner, and G. M. Durner. 1995. Polar bears in Alaska. Pages 351-353 in Our living resources. US Dep. Int. Nat. Biol. Service. Washington, DC. 530pp.

Durner, G. M., and S. C. Amstrup. 1995. Movements of a polar bear from northern Alaska to northern Greenland. Arctic 48(4):338-341.

Amstrup, S. C., and G. M. Durner. 1995. Polar Bear Research in the Beaufort Sea. In Proceedings of the Eleventh working meeting of the IUCN Polar Bear Specialists Group, Copenhagen, Denmark. Edited by O. Wiig, E. W. Born, and G. W. Garner. Occas. Pap. IUCN Spec. Surv. Comm. 10: 145-153.

Amstrup, S. C., and G. M. Durner. 1995. Survival of radio-collared polar bears and their dependent young. Canadian Journal of Zoology 73(7):1312-1322.

Durner, G. M., and J. E. Gates. 1993. Spatial Ecology of Black Rat Snakes on Remington Farms, Maryland. Journal of Wildlife Management, 57(4): 812-826.

Amstrup, S. C., and G. M. Durner. 1992. Temporal and geographic variation of maternity denning among polar bears of the Beaufort Sea. Pages 198-206 in: T. R. Mc Cabe, B. Griffith, N. E. Walsh, and D. D. Young, eds. Terrestrial Research: 1002 area – Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Interim Report, 1988-1990. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska. 432 p.

Amstrup, S. C., and G. M. Durner. 1992. Polar bear maternity denning on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. Pages 189-197 in: T. R. Mc Cabe, B. Griffith, N. E. Walsh, and D. D. Young, eds. Terrestrial Research: 1002 area – Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Interim Report, 1988-1990. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska. 432 p.

Amstrup, S. C., and G. M. Durner. 1992. Responses of maternal polar bears to human activities in Alaska. Pages 198-206 in: T. R. Mc Cabe, B. Griffith, N. E. Walsh, and D. D. Young, eds. Terrestrial Research: 1002 area – Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Interim Report, 1988-1990. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska. 432 p.

Websites of Interest

Detection of denning polar bears with forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imagery
Mapping of high probability maternal denning habitats of polar bears