Pacific Southwest

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: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; 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.

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

View and Print this Publication (4.8 MB)

Publication Notes: 

• We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
• This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.
• You may send email to rschneider@fs.fed.us to request a hard copy of this publication. (Please specify exactly which publication you are requesting and your mailing address.)

 Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility

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: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; 163 p.