Project Title: Landscape Ecology of Fishers
(Martes pennanti) in North-Central Idaho

Special Project: Fisher Research

As part of the Idaho Conservation League's mission to protect Idaho's clean water, wilderness and quality of life we work to ensure that fish and wildlife populations are protected. We work with partners to ensure that state and federal agencies are using the best available scientific information to safeguard these species for future generations.

A new project that we're working on involves conducting research related to the fisher. It's a medium sized mammal (just larger than a house cat) in the weasel family that depends, in part, on old growth forests. Fishers are found throughout central Idaho and the Panhandle, and are considered a sensitive species.

Unfortunately, there's not much information out there on the specific needs of the fisher, particularly in Idaho, and that's why we're partnering with researchers at the University of Idaho, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and the Potlatch Forest Holdings, Inc. to increase our understanding of this unique animal.

This website will provide information on an ongoing research project that will evaluate the habitat needs of fishers and seeks to better understand the role that logging and other land management activities play in fisher ecology.

If you have any questions about this project, please contact Jonathan Oppeheimer at 208-345-6942 ext. 26.

The fisher (Martes pennanti) is a medium sized carnivore associated with mid-elevation, mesic, mature forest habitats characterized by high canopy closure, complex vertical structure, and a suitable prey base. Fishers were once widely distributed across the Northern US, but aggressive trapping, habitat loss, and possibly fragmentation have contributed to population declines and regional extirpation across much of the species' historical range. Trapping season closures, reintroductions, and reforestation have stimulated population growth in some areas, however, across most of the Western US populations remain relatively low and poorly documented. Fisher
A fisher (Martes pennanti)

Currently, forest management plans try to accommodate the needs of fishers based on a limited understanding of the species' ecology in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Forest managers need better information about the potential impacts of fragmentation, road development, and habitat modification on fishers and other forest carnivores to successfully integrate wildlife needs into management plans. The Idaho Conservation League has partnered with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the University of Idaho, and Potlatch Forest Holdings, Inc. to sponsor a new research project dedicated to improving our knowledge of fisher ecology in the Northern Rocky Mountains, and getting this information into the hands of biologists and land managers for practical "on-the-ground" application. 		Wietas Creek Roadless Area - prime fisher habitat
Prime fisher habitat

Research Objectives

Previous fisher research suggests that variables operating at home range and landscape spatial scales may dictate fisher presence/absence and habitat selection. The primary research objective of this project is to achieve a better understanding of how fishers use habitats at these scales. This will be done in the context of multiple forest management objectives to examine how fragmentation, habitat modification, and road development influence presence/absence, movement, and resource use of fishers. Fisher track in the snow
Fresh fisher tracks in the snow
Our specific goals are:
  • 1. Quantify how landscape spatial structure, configuration, and habitat modification affect resource use and habitat selection by fishers.
  • 2. Quantify resource use and habitat selection by fishers at the intra-home range scale across a range of forest landscape mosaics.
  • 3. Develop habitat models that predict the probability of fisher presence/absence and identify critical core and linkage zones for potential future conservation actions.
  • 4. Develop practical management goals and principles for land managers to better incorporate the ecological needs of fishers into forest management plans.
  • 5. Advance the use of satellite telemetry in defining wildlife-habitat relationships by the innovative application of this technology to a mid-sized forest carnivore.

Study Area and Methods

Using hair snags, snowtrack surveys, and remote cameras we have identified active fisher territories in the Clearwater, Palouse and St. Joe River drainages. During the winter of 2007 and 2008, we will live trap fishers in these areas. 25 to 30 satellite transmitters will be fitted on adult fishers inhabiting a continuum of fragmentation patterns across north-central Idaho. These transmitters emit a radio signal that is received by the Argos Satellite System. Using the physics principle of the Doppler Effect, positions are calculated for the location of each collared animal. These locations will be used with remotely-sensed habitat data, stand exam data, and GIS-derived landscape variables to address the research objectives described above. Benefits of satellite based telemetry over other telemetry techniques (e.g. VHF, GPS) include: reduced cost per location, increased number of locations, locations collected during all seasons and times of day/night, reduced problems with terrain/vegetation obstruction, and increased project safety. Map of study area
The project study area

Project Timeline

  • April 2006-December 2006: Project design, planning, and field season preparation.
  • December 2006-March 2007: First field season (trap fishers and attach telemetry collars).
  • March 2007-December 2007: Monitor collared animals, conduct preliminary analyses.
  • December 2007-March 2008: Second field season (trap fishers and attach telemetry collars).
  • March 2008-December 2008: Monitor collared animals, conduct preliminary analyses.
  • January 2009-December 2009: Conduct final analyses and submit results for publication.
  • January 2010: Final project report available.
  • June 2010: Host "Forest Management for Fishers" workshop for land managers.

Project reports and products available for download

Coming Soon!

The local Army Corps of Engineers did a short story on the fisher project. You'll find it on pages 8-9 of the August-September 2006 issue of Intercom (download the pdf).

 Collecting hair samples
Biologists check hair snag traps for genetic samples
Release of a fisher
Biologist releases a fisher

Collaborators

This project is funded by following participating agencies and organizations (please click on the logos to visit their websites):

Idaho Department of Fish and Game
IDFG logo

University of Idaho
U of Idaho logo

Potlatch Forest Holding, Inc.
Potlatch Corporation logo

Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative
Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative logo

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
US Army Corps of Engineers logo

U.S. Forest Service
US Forest Service logo

For more information about this project, please contact: Joel Sauder jsauder@idfg.idaho.gov

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