Pacific Fisher Ecology and Conservation

WCS and the Hoopa Valley Tribe
The Wildlife Conservation Society works with Native American communities to develop strong information foundations to direct wildlife management decision-making and train community members to become future leaders in wildlife conservation and management. WCS and the Hoopa Valley Tribe are working on a collaborative study of the ecology of the Pacific fisher, considered by the Hoopa to be culturally important and which is also a candidate for federal endangered species status.

The Human Aspect
The Hoopa Valley Reservation is the largest land-based reservation in California and the well-established, federally recognized Hoopa Valley Tribe is one of the most progressive self-governed tribes in the nation. However, the lack of information and indigenous individuals with with wildlife and natural resource training represent an important challenge to the future management of the Hoopa Valley Reservation and all Native American lands.

Threats
The Hoopa Tribe's economy is almost entirely based on income generated from timber harvested on the Hoopa Valley Reservation. The Pacific fisher is partially dependent upon forests with old growth characteristics, so it is critical to determine fisher habitat components that can be maintained or enhanced while implementing the Tribe’s forest management plan.

WCS Activities
WCS is working with the Hoopa Tribe to build a natural resource information base while simultaneously providing training for community members. Training opportunities consist of the field-based use of research equipment, making field observations, measuring and observing fishers, identifying track and sign, as well as key ecological concepts. Due to the cultural significance of fishers and its current candidacy for federal protection, much of the Tribe’s Forest Management Plan includes wildlife habitat protection guidelines that focus on conserving fisher habitat. The information about fisher ecology gained from this project will inform restoration and conservation efforts for fishers throughout its range in California, Oregon, and Washington. Research on the ecology of Pacific fisher, a determination of the impacts of forest management on fisher populations, and the training of tribal members to become leaders in wildlife conservation and management are all important outcomes of this collaboration.

Important Next Steps

• Continue to develop and expand training and technical opportunities for tribal and community members.
• Determine reasons for decline in fisher numbers on the reservation. Possible explanations include disease and/or increased predator pressure.
• Quantify den and rest site forest structure and habitat, and foraging habitat of female fishers.
• Assess the feasibility of using genetic techniques to monitor fisher populations.
• Expand study of fisher dispersal behavior.
• Coordinate research and conservation efforts regarding fisher with stakeholders, including agencies, private landowners, managers and conservation groups.
• Assist the Hoopa Valley Tribe in making changes to their forest management plan to more effectively conserve critical elements of fisher habitat.