Pacific Southwest Research Station

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General Technical Report

Title: American marten, fisher, lynx, and wolverine: survey methods for their detection

Author: Zielinski, William J.; Kucera, Thomas E., technical editors

Date: 1995

Source: Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-157. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station; 163 p.

Station ID: GTR-PSW-157

Description: The status of the American marten (Martes americana), fisher (Martes pennanti), lynx (Lynx canadensis), and wolverine (Gulo gulo) is of increasing concern to managers and conservationists in much of the western United States. Because these species are protected throughout much of their range in the west, information on population status and trends is unavailable from trapping records. This report describes methods to detect the four species using either remote photography, track plates, or snow tracking. A strategy for systematic sampling and advice on the number of devices used, their deployment, and the minimum sampling duration for each sampling unit are provided. A method for the disposition of survey data is recommended such that the collective results of multiple surveys can describe regional distribution patterns over time. The report describes survey methods for detection only but also provides some considerations for their use to monitor population change.

Key Words: furbearers, forest carnivores, survey methods, monitoring, inventory, western United States

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Citation

Zielinski, William J.; Kucera, Thomas E., technical editors.  1995.  American marten, fisher, lynx, and wolverine: survey methods for their detection. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-157.  Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station; 163 p.