6 Winter/Spring 2016 conservationnw.org
Above: A crowd braves the snow to
watch the second release of fishers into
Washington's South Cascades. It was
incredibly inspiring to watch these native
forest carnivores return to habitat that had
been absent of their presence for over half a
century. Photo: Paul Bannick
For the first time in over half a century, fishers are back in the Cascades!
With the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and Mount
Rainier and North Cascades national parks as our partners, we have initiated the
first year of a multiyear fisher reintroduction project on federal lands in Washing
-
ton's Cascades. We plan to release 80 fishers into the South Cascades, a process that
began last December and will end in February 2017. So far 23 fishers have been
reintroduced to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest just south of Mount Rainier.
In the fall of 2016 and the winter of 2017, fisher releases will continue in the South
Cascades. From late-fall of 2017 to mid-winter of 2020, up to 80 more fishers will
be released in the North Cascades including the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National
Forest and North Cascades National Park.
Sometimes called Pacific fishers, these housecat-sized members of the weasel
family feed on hares, porcupines, rodents and other small mammals in low- and
mid-elevation coniferous forests. In part because of demand for their luxurious fur,
fishers were trapped, shot and poisoned to extirpation in Washington by the mid-
1900s. With extirpation, they were lost entirely from these areas. No longer.
"With fishers returning to the Cascades, we're restoring an important piece of
the ecosystem and our shared natural heritage. at's something all Washingtonians
should be proud of," said Mitch Friedman, our executive director.
In 2008, Conservation Northwest partnered with WDFW, the National
Park Service, and others to reintroduce 90 fishers to the Olympic Peninsula, a
process lasting three years. Since its
reintroduction, the population in the
forest surrounding the Olympics has
been confirmed to be reproducing
successfully and dispersing across the
forests of the peninsula.
e fishers being released into
the Cascades originate from British
Columbia, where we help fund
trappers to live-capture the animals that
otherwise would have been trapped
lethally. British Columbia fishers are
closely related to those that historically
lived in the Cascades, making them a
Alaina Kowitz Communications and Outreach
Associate, alaina@conservationnw.org
FISHERS ARE BACK IN THE CASCADES
Conservation Northwest and partners
reintroduce fishers
Fishers back in the Cascades
