110
APPENDIX VI
Run-pole Camera Station Protocol Developed for Conservation
Northwest (CNW) by the North Cascades Wolverine Study
(NCWS)
17 December 2012
Keith B. Aubry (kaubry@fs.fed.us) and Catherine M. Raley (craley@fs.fed.us)
Pacific Northwest Research Station, 3625 93rd Ave SW, Olympia, WA.
Objectives: Camera survey results contribute important information on the current
distribution of wolverines in our region. The primary objective for installing and
operating run-pole camera stations is to detect any wolverines in the area and obtain the
best possible photos of ventral blazes on the chest and throat. These markings are unique
among individuals; thus, with good photos we are able to identify individual wolverines
and determine how frequently they are detected and whether they are detected at multiple
locations or during multiple years. This protocol follows the basic run-pole and camera
set-up design developed and used by Audrey Magoun in Alaska (Magoun et al. 2011).
However, this protocol does not include the hair-snag frame developed by Magoun et al.
(2011). The frame they developed requires substantial effort to install and maintain, and
has not been adequately tested in our region. Thus, when the deployment of hair-
snagging devices is needed, we recommend that CNW volunteers use a simple gun-brush
belt.
The run-pole sets should be constructed using natural logs (not milled lumber). When
determined by the survey coordinator, a hair-snagging device may also be deployed at a
run-pole camera site, as in many cases it will be important to collect genetic samples for
DNA analyses. Regardless, to maximize the chances of detecting wolverines, the run-
pole camera sites need to be kept as natural looking as possible with the minimum
number of necessary detection devices.
Selecting a camera site: The objectives are to: 1) survey areas that are adjacent to the
North Cascades Wolverine Study Area to document additional resident wolverines in the
Cascade Range, and 2) survey areas that have a high potential of containing wolverines
based on the spring snow coverage developed by Copeland et al. (2010). Based on results
from Copeland et al. (2010), and telemetry locations of wolverines monitored by the
NCWS thus far (Aubry et al. 2012), wolverine occurrence in the northern Cascade Range
of Washington is closely associated with those areas that have snow cover persisting into
the late spring (mid-April to mid-May). The NCWS has provided CNW staff with a map
of late spring snow cover to assist with locating the best areas in which to deploy run-pole
camera stations for detecting wolverine.
Camera sites should be >100 m from regularly used snowmobile routes and ski trails, or
other activities that may deter wolverines from approaching the area. The site must have
at least a couple of trees that are of the appropriate size and distance apart for constructing
and supporting a run-pole, hanging the bait, and setting up the camera according to the
