Article impact statement: Data sharing and coordinated monitoring are needed to assess species' response to threats to inform conservation planning at relevant scales.

Wolverines (Gulo gulo) in the contiguous United States have been considered for protection under the Endangered Species Act, most recently based on the value of deep snow for the duration of the wolverine's denning season. We examined evidence for an obligate relationship between wolverines and spring snow cover using camera traps and long-term fur harvests in Alberta. The proportion of traplines that harvested !1 wolverine was highest in the northwest Boreal Forest (0.3), where mean wolverine harvest density increased by 75% from the 1990s to 2000s. There was no difference in percent spring snow cover on traplines with a female (n ¼ 81) or no female (n ¼ 416) wolverine harvest in the Boreal Forest. Further, all female wolverines (n ¼ 8) positively identified from camera traps in the Boreal Forest, including 5 lactating females, were located within townships predicted to have no spring snow cover. Long-term harvests and evidence of reproduction in areas with low amounts of spring snow cover in the Boreal Forest of northern Alberta suggest that wolverines may be more flexible in their distribution than previously assumed.

Population assessment is a primary component of ungulate management, but managers are continuously under pressure to reduce survey cost. Another concern in aerial surveys is accounting for undetected animals (i.e., visibility bias). Currently, a stratified random block-survey design (hereafter, blocksurveys) is used to develop moose (Alces alces) population estimates in several regions of North America. In this case study, we evaluated the application of distance sampling as an alternative to block-surveys in Alberta, Canada. We conducted distance-sampling surveys in 2010 and 2012 and compared density estimates, precision (coeff. of variation) and flight effort (hr/100 km 2 of survey area) to block-surveys flown in 2002, 2007, 2009, and 2012. To assess sightability bias and subsequently correct for moose missed on the transect line, we developed a predictive sightability model using 41 sightability trials with 21 radiocollared moose in 2009 and 2010. Without correcting for visibility bias on the transect line, distance sampling was more efficient in terms of flight-hours than block-surveys, while providing population estimates with similar or higher precision. Estimated sightability on the transect line was 67% in 2010 and 46% in 2012, which was used to re-scale the detection functions. Considering that population estimates from block-surveys as applied in Alberta are based on observable moose, distance sampling with a sightability correction likely provided more accurate estimates. Our results support the application of distance sampling as an alternative to blocksurveys, but we suggest further investigation of methods for correcting visibility bias on the transect line.

Trapping for furbearers remains an important outdoor activity in Alberta, Canada, despite low fur prices and extensive industrial development. We investigated the influence of landscape change on furbearer harvests using 30 years of marten (Martes americana) harvest records, interviews with trappers, and Geographic Information System maps of industrial activity and vegetation types. We used an information-theoretic approach to explore variation in trapper success. Cover type and landscape metrics apparently influenced trapper success, because traplines where martens were consistently caught had less vehicle and all-terrain vehicle access, fewer oil and gas wells, and greater proportion of mature conifer forests than traplines where martens were infrequently caught. We identified an important cutoff value or statistical threshold that identified 45% closed-conifer cover, suggesting that a minimum amount of forest cover is crucial for trappers to catch martens. We conclude that the nature and extent of industrial disturbance is contributing to the decision by trappers to trap as well as influencing their success. We recommend that wildlife managers collect trapping effort information (i.e., species-specific no. of trap-nights) on fur reports in association with landscape changes to monitor furbearer harvests more effectively. (JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 73(6): 894-903; 2009)

We investigated Wolverine (Gulo gulo) denning ecology in the boreal forest of northern Alberta. During winters 2015/2016 and 2016/2017, we used live traps to capture four female Wolverines and fitted them with global positioning system (GPS) collars programmed to take a location every two hours. We determined reproductive status at capture and GPS location data were used to identify den sites. One female denned in one of the two years, one female denned in two consecutive years, and two females did not den during the study. Seven of the eight Wolverine den sites were in mature or old Black Spruce (Picea mariana) stands, where dens consisted of a hollow, moss-covered mound originating from a partially uplifted root mass caused by a leaning or fallen tree. One den was located under decayed logging debris with an overstorey dominated by dense deciduous regeneration. Maximum snow depth recorded (December–March) at weather stations in the study area was 32–51 cm. Spring snow coverage was scarce in our study area (<1%) and always associated with ice cover on lakes and large ponds; mean distance from dens to nearest spring snow coverage was 15.19 km (SD = 2.73, n = 8). Female Wolverines appear to be using locally-available denning structures in the lowland boreal forest, despite a lack of deep snow, persistent spring snow cover, or large boulders documented in other studies.