Fisher Study Wraps Field Work
ICL has been engaged in a study of fisher in north-central Idaho for several years. Earlier this month, the final GPS collar was fitted to a fisher in the Clearwater National Forest.
A fisher fitted with a GPS collar in the Clearwater National Forest.
Several years ago, the Idaho Conservation League partnered with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and University of Idaho in a study to better understand forest habitats used by fishers.
A member of the weasel family, fishers are described by lead researcher Joel Sauder as a mix between a house cat and dachshund. Fishers were identified as a species of greatest conservation need in the Idaho Wildlife Conservation Strategy.
The study is supported by a diverse group of participants, including the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, Potlatch Corporation, Forest Service, Yellowstone to Yukon, and others.
Part of the reason that the fisher was highlighted in the conservation strategy was because we know so little about this species. The fisher is a nongame species in Idaho and cannot be legally trapped or hunted.
What we do know is that fishers generally rely on mature moist forests of the Northwest and tend to live in or around large trees. Aside from that, little is known about what impacts roads, logging, fires and other disturbances have on these unique animals.
The study will remotely track 26 fishers that were trapped in the mountains of north-central Idaho and fitted with GPS collars. Last week, the final collar was fitted to a fisher near Musselshell Meadows on the Clearwater National Forest.
In 2012, ICL and partners will host a forum for land managers to apply the lessons of the project to ensure that fishers and other rare species are protected for future generations of Idahoans.
You can check out the video on the project.
