Wolverine management in Nevada

[mostinterestingmanintheworld]

Our fish and game has been talking about classifying the wolverine in NV because there was a supposed sighting in the California Sierras.

There have been anecdotal sightings but nothing concrete.

What would be best? Protected species, furbearer with closed season, or nothing?

I seriously doubt we'll catch any but we have had moose and other northern stuff show up from time to time so it's possible I guess.

Joel

[FWS]

there was a supposed sighting in the California Sierras.

Not supposed, it was well documented. Pics, scat and I believe some hair. The DNA tests say it was a male from the Sawtooth Range in ID. Doesn't surprise me that one wandered to CA, radio collared animals have been found 900 miles from the capture site.

So yeah, your DFG needs to address this and be prepared for a potential listing of the wolverine under the ESA.

You're now in "The Wolverine Zone"

So familiarize yourself with the ESA, like the Section 10 incidental take permit.

They might want to think about the Sierra Nevada red fox next.

[mostinterestingmanintheworld]

FWS I'd appreciate your thoughts on my original question. Serious.

Pics,and hair have been produced for Bigfoot recently and I'm not sure I'm buying that one yet.

Joel

[FWS]

I'm not sure I'm buying that one yet.

Buy it. I know the researcher whose camera traps got the pics, went to school with her, and the guys who did the follow up. It was real.

I don't know how to designate them in NV, vagrants maybe ? If they find their way to CA from ID there's a pretty good possibility they pass through at least part of NV. Be interesting to map the potential corridors they'd use and if there are any likely funnels set up heavy with camera traps and hair snares. Be good data to have in any case if it does become an issue.

The question of listing the wolverine is in the courts right now, so it's better to be aware and prepared. A big part of the problem with lynx was that the affected parties kinda fell asleep after the listing and didn't aggressively pursue the incidental take permits.

[mostinterestingmanintheworld]

So given two choices, one protected species, and two furbearer closed season which would you take?

Those are basically our options unless we come up with something different.

Joel

[hotandry]

Joel,

I am a little suspicious about this wolverine stuff as well.

There has been a great deal of time and money spent trying to find wolverines in CA. Helicopters were used to run an extensive camera and fur/dna trapline over a wide area in the remote high country of the southern Sierra Nevada Mts about three years ago. To no avail. Every kind of furbearer showed up except wolverines.

Then this one biologist finds "evidence" of one wolverine in N. CA near the NV border.

I wouldn't mind having the critter around at all. But the endangered species act has been used and abused since the beginning by activists. Using a furry critter like the polar bear or wolverine is easier to get people to buy into it versus the yellow bellied sap sucker or the green slimed snail darter.

I don't know what the answer is at all to your question. Maybe we could have the NV furbearer biologist determine whether or not the wolverine were ever native to this state. And go from there.

-John

[northof50]

It's like hot&dry says go with the historical records. One way to cross match these records to area taken is to check for any possiable soil samples on the specimens. The selinium levels will put you in your region and eliminate any hoakes that were brought in for a native range. Tourist come ons for small local museums etc will be eliminated.
Check out some of the radio/sat tracking and movements of the Yukon/ BC studies and the distances those puppys move. Don't know the web pages.
On the canadian tundra reminded of the 1970's song from SteppingWolf......GOT YOUR MOTORS RUNNING..... when I have encountered these animals. Saw one at a fish crossing in the Tuk area, Makenzie River delta area NWT. moved by helicopter 15 miles to another crossing, who shows up 2 hours later..