It’s Wolverine Wednesday!

The results are in! Two of our stations have returned! The Wolverine Watch has observed numerous critters in their natural habitat, including: some squirrels, a few deer, a martin, and one fat and determined fisher!

In honor of our furry friend, here are a few facts about fishers:

  • The fishers’ scientific name is Martes pennanti. The subspecies M. pennanti columbiana occurs in Idaho.
  • They were once hunted for their lustrous, chocolate-brown fur, and the range of this species has been reduced greatly in the United States. They were thought to have been extirpated from Idaho during the early 1960s.
  • Individual fishers were translocated to three north-central Idaho sites during the early 1960s in order to repopulate the area.
  • Fishers are among the few predators able to kill porcupines! They do it by biting the face, where there are no quills, until the animal is too weak to prevent being rolled over and attacked in the soft underbelly.
  • Despite their name, fishers rarely eat fish!

More pictures!

Now, just a few reminders:

March 3rd is our End-of-Season Party! Come celebrate with all of your fellow volunteers! We’ll kick off the festivities at 2:00pm at Eichardt’s located at 212 Cedar St. in downtown Sandpoint.  We’ll share a summary of project results, hand out awards to exceptional volunteers, and enjoy the stories of backcountry adventures from our wolverine stations.  We’ll wrap up by 5:00pm with the hope that we’ll see everyone again next season!

That's one determined fisher!
That's one determined fisher!

We want your nominations for the 2nd Annual Badass Award! This award will be given to the volunteer whose backcountry efforts this season were super-human and over the top. You can nominate your station leader, you can nominate a fellow volunteer, heck, you can even nominate yourself! Send the name of the nominee along with a one-sentence description of why they are this season’s “Badass” to lauren@scotchmanpeaks.org by February 27th to have them entered! We’ll select the top 5 suggestions and descriptions to be voted on by the Wolverine Crew before our March 3rd bash!

Feb. 23, 2013 – Winter Ecology Hike! Study winter ecology with biologist Brian Baxter for an in depth look at the adaptations of plants and animals that enable them to survive winter in the Northwest Rocky Mountains. Classroom session at Heron Community Center defines botanical and biological terminology focused on identification of evergreen species of trees, shrubs, and forbs. We will also discuss winter adaptations of animals and birds, including Snowshoe hare; Canadian lynx; White tailed Ptarmigan; Rocky Mountain Elk; Long tailed weasel; Boreal Owl; and of course, wolverines! Moderate level field session on pack boots or snowshoes. We’ll take it all in! Dress properly for weather and bring lunch, water and your camera. Smiles welcome! The hike and course are free. There is a $5 charge for class materials. For more information, or to sign up for the hike email Brian Baxter @ b_baxter53@yahoo.com.

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Comments

  1. Nice job, Ranger! Good report.

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