For years, CSERC biologists have maintained camera detection wildlife stations in the Stanislaus National Forest in search of elusive forest furbearers including martens, fishers and wolverines. While we have detected the adorable pine marten throughout the forest (see picture below), we have yet to get photographic evidence of fisher or wolverine. Wolverine, as many of you may have heard, has been spotlighted in the media recently. This elusive carnivore, thought to be extinct in the Sierra Nevada, was recently photographed on the Tahoe National Forest. Oregon State University graduate student, Katie Moriarty, first photographed this furry blur (see picture below) on February 28, and Forest Service researchers later photographed wolverine and collected hair and scat samples on March 13. These researchers analyzed DNA collected from the scat samples and compared this DNA with samples from museum specimens of the historical California population as well as with animals from Washington and the Rocky Mountain Range. Unfortunately, this DNA evidence indicates this wolverine did not descend from the California or Washington populations but is related to the Rocky Mountain population. The nearest wolverines in the Rockies exist 600 miles away northeast in the Idaho Sawtooth Range. So either this animal has broken records in the greatest distance traveled by a wolverine or it is a released or escaped pet or captive. Either way, we continue our search for fisher and wolverine in the Stanislaus in hopes of capturing the image of one of these creatures. Share with us any interesting wildlife sightings that you’ve had in the forest!
Brenda Whited, CSERC Staff Biologist
The Pine Marten is one rare mammal that our camera stations have been successful in capturing.
Here is the now famous photo that first caught the Tahoe wolverine on camera.
cody Says:
August 25th, 2008 at 6:30 pmVisit cody
after a week long hike in the Sierra Nevada hills I came across a small beaver looking animal with a fluffy tail and big paws, at first I had no idea what it could be, possibly a Pine marten but it was fat and bear like and bounced up the rocks into a cave were it watched from above.. I wasn’t able to get a picture of it but after some looking around the internet I found the closest thing to it was a wolverine… I wonder though, do they use the same den year round? because I am thinking of going back out to were i saw it and trying to get some pictures…
Dale Cheves Says:
August 27th, 2008 at 4:38 amVisit Dale Cheves
I saw a wolverine run along the stream right behind me while fishing on 8/22/09.
At the end of Clarks Fork Road NF-7n83 (approx GPS: N38 24.981 W119 44.030)
I wasn’t sure what it was but once I described it, my dad suggested it could have been a Wolverine. Sure enough, a bit of searching on the internet showed me an exact picture of what I saw. It was a Wolverine!
Julia Stephens Says:
August 27th, 2008 at 3:51 pmVisit Julia Stephens
Wow, it is amazing to hear about two possible sightings! There have been some visual reports of wolverines by those who spend time in the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada, now we just need to get them on camera more. These sightings may be worth investigating, so I will contact both of you via email. Thanks for keeping your eyes out.
Van Says:
February 26th, 2010 at 7:35 pmVisit Van
I gave the people studying this a few years ago where I spotted a wolverine about 20 years ago when fishing the Sierras. I would have gotten a good picture but the lock was on my camera, and it was gone from sight just like that, no second chance. But I gave scientist and the dept of fish and game the exact location. I gave the dfg the sighting that year. The exact year was the year of the miracle March. I spotted the wolverine in Feb., just before the huge storms hit the sierras in this region
I then spotted an area where a wolverine had been foraging and it was within a few miles from where I spotted the first. I again gave the exact location where this was. This was within the last 5 years. Both sightings were high up in the Sierras.
I’ve been hiking and fishing the Sierras since the early fifties, both north and south, all elevations.
The area where the cameras have been setup is very very close to where I told these people I’ve spotted these animals.