WALKER: HABITAT USE BY RACCOONS


 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


 Equipment, supplies, and logistical support for this study were provided by John F. Eisenberg, the
 Ordway Chair of Ecosystems Conservation at the University of Florida. Melvin E. Sunquist and Richard
 Franz provided invaluable assistance in the initiation of the project. I appreciate the help of Melvin E.
 Sunquist, Andres Novaro, Rajan Rajaratnam, Lynette Goode, Justina Ray, and the students of the 1992
 Wildlife Techniques Class at the University of Florida in the trapping and handling of the raccoons. Bradley
 Stith taught me how to use ERDAS and ARC/INFO. I am grateful to my committee members, Melvin E.
 Sunquist, Stephen R. Humphrey, and Kent Redford for their advice and counsel throughout the project. I
 also appreciate Truman Perry's vigilance and his dedication to the Ordway Preserve, the wildlife that inhabits
 it, and the researchers who work there. The comments of two anonymous reviewers greatly improved the
 manuscript


 STUDY AREA


 A large proportion of the Ordway Preserve is sandhill uplands, including the
turkey oak (Quercus laevis) barrens associations, longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)-
scrub oak associations and longleaf pine-wiregrass (Aristida stricta) associations
(Franz and Hall 1991). These communities are characterized by rather open
canopies and grassy ground cover (dominated by Aristida stricta and Sporobolus
junceus). Productivity of these uplands is low (Humphrey et al. 1985).
 Approximately 36% of the preserve is wetlands, including isolated upland
 "clear water" lakes and their fringes, seasonally-flooded swamp forests, "dark
 water" lakes, which are darkly stained with organic acids and connected to the
 swamp forest system, and freshwater marshes. Swamp forests encompass several
 vegetative associations dominated by slash pine (Pinus elloittii), red maple (Acer
 rubrum), sweet bay (Magnolia virginiana), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), and pond
 cypress (Taxodium ascendens) (Franz and Hall 1991).
 Mesic hardwood hammocks are found along the swamp forests and dark
water lakes. These include associations dominated by laurel oaks (Quercus
hemisphaerica), sand live oaks (Quercus geminata), pignut hickories (Carya
glabra), water oak (Quercus nigra), and sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua),
with understories consisting of seedlings and saplings, sparkleberry (Vaccinium
arboreum), and saw palmetto (Senoa repens) (Franz and Hall 1991).
 Sand live oak hammocks are more xeric associations dominated by sand live
 oaks, usually in more upland areas. Understory may include various blueberry
 species (Vaccinium spp.) and sabal palm (Sabalpalmetto) (Franz and Hall 1991).
 The area has a long history of human use and habitation, and old fields in
various stages of succession are scattered throughout the preserve. Native and
exotic species found in these areas include sand live oaks, laurel oaks, longleaf
pines, persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), winged sumak (Rhus copallina), and
blackberries (Rubus spp.). Monocultures of loblolly pines (Pinus taeda) planted in
straight rows are found in some parts of the preserve (Franz and Hall 1991).