An American Marten in America

As we discussed last week, the Newfoundland marten has had an interesting history here in our province. Unfortunately for our furry little friend, things haven't been much easier in other parts of the world. The presence of the American marten—Martes americana (of which the Newfoundland marten is a subspecies) has dropped considerably in the United States. Specifically in the state of Vermont. While the problem was noticed in Newfoundland while there was still a population to save, in Vermont it was not noticed until it was too late. By the early 1900's, the marten had largely been extirpated from the state (Moruzzi et al., 2003). Because of this, recovery planning has required a very different approach from what is has been done in Newfoundland.

Classified as endangered by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (VFWD), the short term goal is to boost the status up to threatened. This can be considered accomplished when at least two populations consisting of 300 or more martens become established within the state. To accomplish this goal, a recovery plan was created by the VFWD in cooperation with the United States Forest Services.

United States Forest Services Logo
Source: United States Department of Agriculture Forest Services

Since the marten population is essentially zero in the majority of the state, it is not enough to change human practices to restore the species, as in Newfoundland. Instead, marten species must be imported in from other areas. Since the Newfoundland marten population is not in as grim a situation, this is not yet required in the province. It is worth noting, however, that conservation scientists in Newfoundland have not completely written this idea off. Listed as a “Necessary” action in the recovery plan is assessing the need for re-introduction to historic habitats (Newfoundland Marten Recovery Team, 2010).

Another factor making the recovery planning process is the different threats between Newfoundland and Vermont. While a common threat in both areas is habitat loss through forest conversion (Moruzzi et al., 2003; Newfoundland Marten Recovery Team, 2010), each area has a different major secondary problem. As we discussed last week, the Newfoundland marten has a very large risk of accidentally getting caught in rabbit snares, but in Vermont, an excessive amount of inter-species competition is what is causing a major problem for population re-establishment.

The fisher (Martes pennanti) is a genetic relative of the American marten, and is thought to be causing some of the problems of marten reintroduction. While the two species could historically coexist, the population dynamics have changed since then. Fishers were once heavily hunted, but a sharp decrease in pelt prices in the 1980's caused this practise to become less common. As a result of this, the population rose, which means the few martens living in Vermont are now facing more competition for food resources than ever before (Moruzzi et al., 2003).

As a result of this, the recovery plan must take into account where re-introduction can occur. It is not sufficient to think that martens can be let loose into any of their former habitats,but they must instead factor in where fisher competition will be minimized.

Marten re-introduction in the late 1980's and early 1990's involved taking wild-trapped martens from the nearby states of New York and Maine, and releasing them into the wild at two different sites near the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) in southern Vermont. These sites were at a sufficiently high elevation so as to minimize fisher competition.

Map showing loaction of marten release areas (in circles) and camera observation sites (dots)
Source: Moruzzi et al., 2003

There was 115 martens released over the three year period, and each had their ear tagged with an individual identification tag. They also gave fitted 13 of the martens with radiocollars so that their movement could be better tracked.

Reintroduction of a species can be a very complicated procedure, and attempting it in Vancouver has been very difficult. A review paper by conservation scientists published in the journal The Canadian Field-Naturalist in 2003 demonstrated just how poorly this approach has worked. Camera surveys in the late 1990's gave no evidence of any martens present in the area, let alone sustainable populations.

While reintroduction is no longer being done in the area, the research of its feasibility is an important component of the species' recovery plan. Another high priority item in the plan is to maintain unfragmented marten habitat areas, because if the marten ever is to return, it must be ensured that it has somewhere it can live (VDFW, 2005).

As in Newfoundland, there is an ongoing effort to increase public knowledge and support for the marten. This is being done by encouraging the public to assist conservation scientists in species monitoring by reporting any sightings of the elusive, endangered American marten.

References


The Newfoundland Marten Recovery Team. (2010). Recovery plan for the threatened
Newfoundland population of American marten (Martes americana atrata). Wildlife Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Newfoundland

Moruzzi, T., et al. (2003). Assessing an American Marten, Martes americana, Reintroduction in Vermont. The Canadian Field-Naturalist, 117.2, 190-95.


VDFW. (2005).Vermont's Wildlife Action Plan. Retrieved online from http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/library/Reports_and_Documents/Vermonts_Wildlife_Action_plan/_/_report/7_Appendix/A_Conservation_Summaries_for_Species_of_Greatest_Conservation_Needs/Mammal_SGCN_list.pdf