Wolverines and Winter Recreation

By Diane Evans Mack, Idaho Department of Fish and Game Wolverines are considered secretive and elusive, mostly because we don't know much about them. They occur in low densities across the landscape and tend to spend their time in remote regions, roaming the jagged peaks and high cirque basins that characterize their habitat. After unexpectedly encountering my first wolverine tracks in 2004 during a snow track survey in the west-central Idaho mountains around McCall, I began to study these enigmatic critters more closely. More surveys led to more tracks, which is when my crew and I started erecting remote cameras for photo documentation and to collect hair for DNA confirmation. During three years, we documented five individual wolverines. With the knowledge of resident wolverines also came the concern, echoed elsewhere in the West, that the remote areas wolverines occupy are no longer truly remote in winter because of increasing recreational activity. This changing human presence potentially could affect wolverines. To address this question, the Payette National Forest launched a collaborative study this winter hoping to reveal how wolverines react to different types of human activity in their winter habitats, especially when females are denning or raising kits. The project, led by researchers Kim Heinemeyer of Round River Conservation Studies and Jeff Copeland of the Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, will compare wolverine movements with those of snowmobile riders and backcountry skiers to determine the extent of overlap in both time and space. For their part, wolverines are lured into a baited log box trap, which keeps the animals warm, safe and securely inside. Handling 30 pounds of fur and fury isn't easy, so the animals are anesthetized for about 40 minutes while researchers attach a GPS collar that will record their movements. Colored ear tags for permanent identification are attached, a DNA sample collected, and photos taken documenting the beautiful individual fur patterns. After only two months, six wolverines (three males and three females) are now cruising their territories unknowingly beeping their whereabouts to researchers. The second part of the study monitors recreation activity. Unlike the wolverines, participation in this part of the study by winter recreationists is strictly voluntary, but they too don small GPS devices to track their movements when they venture into the backcountry for a day of skiing or snowmobiling. Several local McCall merchants offer incentives to return the GPS units, ranging from a free microbrew to discounts on merchandise. Participation thus far has been tremendous, thanks to the Idaho State Snowmobile Association, Central Idaho Recreation Coalition, and Brundage Ski Area. These collaborators have contributed funding to the study and promoted it to their members and clients. The current project is designed to expand to the Sawtooth and Boise National Forests in the coming years in an effort to study different wolverine populations and gain a broader perspective of winter recreation. For more information regarding the study, contact idahowolverine@gmail.com. Diane Evans Mack, is the regional wildlife biologist in the Southwest Region