Wallowa-Whitman Wolverine Project
26-Apr-2011
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Produced for The Wolverine Foundation by Conservation Media from raw film footage provided by Audrey Magoun collected on May 15, 2011. |   |
TWF Wallowa-Whitman Wolverine Project Final Report, 2011.
The Wolverine Foundation, Inc.’s (TWF) Wallowa-Whitman Wolverine Survey in Northeastern Oregon has produced history making documentation of wolverine presence. For the first time ever, verifiable evidence of the wolverine has been recorded in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.
Audrey Magoun & Pat Valkenburg setting up a typical camera station
TWF Directors Clinton Long and Audrey Magoun developed the study plan in 2010, and initiated the field work in January 2011. This pilot study is focused on surveying for wolverines (Gulo gulo) in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest within and adjacent to the Eagle Cap Wilderness using proven non-invasive detection methods for wolverines. For more detailed information on the study design, please review the study plan 2010. For more details on the non-invasive detection methods, you can review the new manual available at: blurb.com (http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1914572).
Field work for this project is being conducted by principle investigator Dr. Audrey Magoun, a wildlife biologist who has dedicated her career to studying wolverines since she began her Ph.D. work in 1978, and her husband Pat Valkenburg, a veteran wildlife biologist now retired from the Alaska Department of Fish & Game.
Remote camera stations deployed throughout the study area and direct track observation have now yielded verification of wolverine presence in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.
Wolverine tracks detected April 17, 2011
Wolverine: "Iceman"
On April 17, Audrey observed, measured and photographed wolverine tracks, which were then independently verified by four additional wildlife biologists.
On April 22, after downloading remote camera photographs, Audrey found photographic evidence of the visitation of two different wolverines to a common camera set occurring between April 2 and April 13.
Wolverine: "Stormy"
Subsequent to the downloaded photos of April 22, Audrey now has photographic evidence of these two original individuals revisiting the same camera station and at least one other station, thanks to recognizable white toes and other individual characteristics.
Audrey and Pat have now reconfigured some of the camera stations to obtain photographs that will facilitate the identification of individuals and their respective sexes. In addition, she is hopeful to obtain hair samples, which will provide DNA information for the study animals. Please return to our website for updates as this study progresses.
Aerial track surveys have now also yielded wolverine track documentation in the study area. Due to the early success of this project, Magoun and Valkenburg have agreed to continue the study next winter, contingent on the availability of funding and equipment.
Funding and equipment usage for the project has been made possible by the following entities:
The Wolverine Foundation, Inc. (TWF)
ODFW – Oregon Conservation Strategy Implementation Grant (Federal SWG)
The Seattle Foundation
Wildlife Research and Management (WRAM)
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
National Park Service (NPS)
and private individuals, including Magoun and Valkenburg who are using their own plane for aerial surveys.