Assessing an American Marten, <em>Martes americana</em>, Reintroduction in Vermont

Abstract

from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and the USDA Forest Service reintroduced 115 (88 male, 27 female) American Martens (Martes americana) into the southern half of the Green Mountain National Forest. During the years of release, brief radio-contact was made with 9 of the 13 (8 male, 5 female) radiocollared animals, and several of these may have established residency. Results of winter track count surveys suggested the presence of at least four Martens in 1990. During winter 1994-1995, Trailmaster ® cameras and boxed camera systems detected Martens at two, and Fishers (Martes pennanti) at 11, of 20 sites. During winter 1997-1998, Fishers were detected at 37 of 47 boxed camera sites, but no Martens were detected. During summer 1997 and 1998, no Marten photos were recorded at 285 pressureplate camera stations in a larger area that included all Marten release sites. Although post-release monitoring may have been insufficient to definitively confirm Marten presence, results from the 1997 and 1998 camera surveys indicate that a viable population of Martens was not established in southern Vermont, perhaps due to competition with Fishers.

Estimating distribution and connectivity of recolonizing American marten in the northeastern United States using expert elicitation techniques

“…1; Aylward, Murdoch & Kilpatrick in review). Furthermore, systematic surveys following a reintroduction effort in southern Vermont failed to detect a population that is now understood to have persisted at the time (Moruzzi et al 2003;Aylward et al in review). Populations appear to have expanded since the mid-20 th century (Fig.…”

Movement, survival, and home range size of translocated american martens (Martes americana) in wisconsin

“…To our knowledge, no study other than Davis () has evaluated the efficacy of release methods on American marten. Other studies have employed both slow‐ and quick‐release in the translocation and reintroduction of American martens (Moruzzi et al ), though post‐release monitoring was not sufficient to compare the 2 techniques. Past reviews of marten reintroductions have concluded that slow‐release techniques have been more successful than quick‐release because they allow the animals to orientate to new surroundings and overcome the initial stress of translocation (Bright ).…”

American marten occupancy and activity patterns at the southern extent of their range in the eastern United States

“…Fisher may be important intraguild predators of marten (Hodgman et al, 1994;Raine, 1981) and their impact has been suggested as a contributing factor to the apparent failed reintroduction of marten in Vermont (Moruzzi et al, 2003). Co-occurrence TA B L E 4 Species interaction factors (Φ; Richmond et al, 2010) at the unit and camera levels between marten and other mesocarnivore species of interest.…”