Wolverines of the North Cascades, 2014

Wolverine Research

The wolverine is among the rarest of the large carnivores in North America and probably least understood. SEEC produced this video to feature the collaborative, transboundary wolverine research of wildlife biologists in Washington State and and the Province of British Columbia.

DID YOU KNOW…

Diet

Wolverines eat a variety of food items. The larger animals they feed on tend to be carrion, that is, already dead when they discover them.  These larger animals include elk, caribou, deer and mountain goats. Wolverines will also eat snowshoe hare, porcupines, marmots, mice, voles, birds, fish and vegetation.

Length: 82 – 130 cm  |  Weight: 6.5 – 16kg  |  Lifespan: 7-12 years

Population

Wolverines in the North Cascades of Washington State appear to be part of a larger population that reside in British Columbia and possibly Alberta. Wildlife biologists in in the U.S. collaborate with their counterparts in BC to study these populations as part of ongoing research related to transboundary species. This study area includes the North Cascades, Skagit and Similkameen watersheds.

This research involves setting live traps baited with road-killed mule deer, beaver or salmon carcasses and monitored electronically as well as visited regularly to ensure the traps are working properly.  Captured wolverines are ear-tagged and fitted with radio-collars to provide general location and movement data. Approximately 1 dozen unique wolverines have been trapped, tagged and monitored over a 4 – 5 year period.

Range

For a graphic illustration of the extensive range of rough country the wolverine travels over, visit page 13 of this report by wolverinefoundation.org. The vast, uninterupted wild space a wolverine requires speak volumes to importance of protected habitat.

Reproduction

Mating season for wolverines is late spring to summer with an average of 1 – 2 kits being born the following winter, into spring. The kits are born white in color, in dens, burrowed deep into the snow in remote alpine locations usually at or just above the treeline.

What threatens wolverines?

The threats to wolverines are ultimately all human initiated.

Climate change affects the wolverines because the available deep snow in their southern habitat regions is slowly diminishing.

Encroachment of human activity disrupts denning wolverines. Outdoor enthusiasts are accessing wild places via snowmobile and backcountry skiing excursions.

As human infrastructure expands into more remote regions, available wolverine habitat becomes more fragmented.  Connected corridors of protected lands are required to enable the wide ranging wolverine to travel between regional wolverine populations.

The recent wolverine work in BC is funded by the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission, the BC Ministry of Environment and the BC Conservation Foundation.

For the latest information about wolverine research, connect with the following organizations.

The Wolverine Foundation     Conservation NW


NPS: Ecosystem Management Projects in 2006

NPS: Ecosystem Management Projects in 2006


Terrestrial Riparian Arthropod Investigations In The Big Beaver Creek Research Natural Area, 1995 - 1996 Part 4

Terrestrial Riparian Arthropod Investigations In The Big Beaver Creek Research Natural Area,
North Cascades National Park Service Complex, 1995-1996:
Part IV,

Hymenoptera: Formicidae

Reed S. Glesne
North Cascades National Park Service Complex


Terrestrial Riparian Arthropod Investigations In The Big Beaver Creek Research Natural Area, 1995 - 1996, Part 5

Terrestrial Riparian Arthropod Investigations In The Big Beaver Creek Research Natural Area, 1995 - 1996
Part V , Analysis of Arthropod Community
Characteristics and Habitat Associations

Reed S. Glesne
North Cascades National Park Service Complex

Greg Brenner
Pacific Analytics

James R. LaBonte
Oregon State Department o f Agriculture


Ross Lake Rainbow Trout Study - 1994

Alan C. Looff
Fisheries Management Division
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife


Ross Lake Rainbow Trout Study - 1990-91 Appendix

Alan C. Looff
September 1991

Fisheries Management Division
Washington Department of Wildlife


Sumallo River Stocking Evaluation: Progress, 1989

Sumallo River Stocking Evaluation: Progress 1989

by Pat A. Slaney, Theresa I. Godin
Ministry of Environment, Fisheries Research and Development


Skagit River and Ross Reservoir Fisheries Management Plan, 1988

Skagit River and Ross Reservoir Fisheries Management Plan

by H. R. Neuman