Matthews, Sean
(Ph.D., W&FCON) 
Project:
Ecology of the fisher on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, northwestern California
Contact:
smatthew “at” wcs.or
Support:
Wildlife Conservation Society
Hoopa Valley Tribe
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Forest Service
Unisense Foundation
Humboldt County Fish & Game Advisory Commission
Web links
Project abstract:
The fisher ( Martes pennanti ) is a mid-sized, forest-dwelling, carnivore in the family Mustelidae. Forest management practices and over-trapping for fur during the early twentieth century resulted in population declines and range contractions throughout Washington , Oregon , and California . However, the population density of fishers in some habitats of northwestern California remained high, affording a unique opportunity to investigate poorly understood elements of fisher ecology in the Pacific states and provide recommendations for future recovery efforts. I am working with the Hoopa Valley Indian Tribe in northwestern California ; a tribe which depends on timber extraction as a significant source of income while holding fisher in high regard culturally.
Specifically, my work focuses on generating a population estimate of fisher on the reservation; quantifying fisher habitat use during resting, denning, and periods of activity at micro-site and stand levels; assessing demographic rates and denning behavior of adult female fishers; and determining the feasibility of studying dispersal behavior of juvenile fishers and of using genetic tagging as a long-term population monitoring method. These and the products of additional collaborations will fill critical information gaps in the development of a conservation assessment and strategy for fisher in the Pacific states and assist the Hoopa Tribe in increasing their capacity to achieve long-term conservation goals.
