Management Plan for the Conservation of Wolverines in Idaho 2014–2019 Prepared by IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME July 2014 2 Idaho Department of Fish & Game Recommended Citation: Idaho Department of Fish and Game. 2014. Management plan for the conservation of wolverines in Idaho. Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Boise, USA. Idaho Department of Fish and Game – Wolverine Planning Team: Becky Abel – Regional Wildlife Diversity Biologist, Southeast Region Bryan Aber – Regional Wildlife Biologist, Upper Snake Region Scott Bergen PhD – Senior Wildlife Research Biologist, Statewide, Pocatello William Bosworth – Regional Wildlife Biologist, Southwest Region Rob Cavallaro – Regional Wildlife Diversity Biologist, Upper Snake Region Rita D Dixon PhD – State Wildlife Action Plan Coordinator, Headquarters Diane Evans Mack – Regional Wildlife Diversity Biologist, McCall Subregion Sonya J Knetter – Wildlife Diversity Program GIS Analyst, Headquarters Zach Lockyer – Regional Wildlife Biologist, Southeast Region Michael Lucid – Regional Wildlife Diversity Biologist, Panhandle Region Joel Sauder PhD – Regional Wildlife Diversity Biologist, Clearwater Region Ben Studer – Web and Digital Communications Lead, Headquarters Leona K Svancara PhD – Spatial Ecology Program Lead, Headquarters Beth Waterbury – Team Leader & Regional Wildlife Diversity Biologist, Salmon Region Craig White PhD – Regional Wildlife Manager, Southwest Region Ross Winton – Regional Wildlife Diversity Biologist, Magic Valley Region Additional copies: Additional copies can be downloaded from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game website at fishandgame.idaho.gov/wolverine-conservation-plan Front Cover Photo: Composite photo: Wolverine photo by AYImages; background photo of the Beaverhead Mountains, Lemhi County, Idaho by Rob Spence, Greater Yellowstone Wolverine Program, Wildlife conservation Society. Back Cover Photo: Release of Wolverine F4, a study animal from the Central Idaho Winter Recreation/Wolverine Project, from a live trap north of McCall, 2011. Photo by Blakeley Adkins. Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) adheres to all applicable state and federal laws and regulations related to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, gender, disability or veteran’s status. If you feel you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility of IDFG, or if you desire further information, please write to: Idaho Department of Fish and Game, P.O. Box 25, Boise, ID 83707 or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Federal Assistance, Mailstop: MBSP-4020, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203, Telephone: (703) 358-2156. This publication will be made available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact IDFG for assistance. Costs associated with this publication are available from IDFG in accordance with Section 60-202, Idaho Code. Approved July 2014 Idaho Fish and Game Commission Meeting. Printed 8/2014/50/PCA 47872 Idaho Department of Fish & Game iii Acknowledgments e thank This Plan has Wthose who benefited greatly contributed to the from early development of this collaboration and Plan, notably the insights provided by researchers whose Dustin T. Miller and field studies have Sam Eaton of the illuminated our Idaho Governor’s understanding of Office of Species wolverine ecology Conservation. and population Previous drafts dynamics in of this document Idaho and the were improved Intermountain West: through reviews Keith B. Aubry, by Regan Berkley, Jeffrey P. Copeland, Toby Boudreau, Kimberly S. Jeff Gould, Charlie Heinemeyer, Robert Justus, Sharon Kiefer, M. Inman, John Krebs, Jim Mende, Steve Audrey J. Magoun, Nadeau, Jon Rachael, Kevin S. McKelvey, Lacy Robinson, Mary Michael K. Schwartz, Terra-Berns, Gregg and John S. Squires. Servheen, Kathleen In addition, we wish Trever, Martha to thank University of Wackenhut, and Idaho faculty John T. Greg Wooten. Kelly Abatzoglou, Jeffrey Photo by Diane Evans Mack. Kennedy Yokoyama A. Hicke, and Timothy E. Link for insights and expertly managed the layout and publication of expertise on climate science. We are grateful to the document. Rex Sallabanks provided guidance Jeffrey P. Copeland, Robert M. Inman, and Michael and feedback through all stages of the planning K. Schwartz for generously sharing research process. products for use in this document. We are also Development of this Plan was possible through grateful to Kristy L. Pilgrim and the USDA Forest a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Service Rocky Mountain Research Station for Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation invaluable assistance analyzing wolverine genetic Fund (Section 6 of the Endangered Species samples. Hundreds of volunteer citizen scientists Act), which provides grants to states to support have contributed thousands of hours observing, voluntary conservation projects for listed and collecting, and recording data to increase our candidate species. Requisite matching funds were collective knowledge of wolverines in Idaho. We derived from voluntary state sources, including sincerely thank these individuals, organizations, Wildlife License Plates, state income tax check- and businesses for their commitment and off, and donations to Idaho Department of Fish valuable contributions. We also thank all of the and Game’s Wildlife Diversity Program. We thank stakeholders who have taken time to comment on all Idahoans who contribute to these sources for this volume. this vital program support. iv Idaho Department of Fish & Game Executive Summary he wolverine (Gulo gulo) is a large, wide- species, citing the primary threat of habitat and Tranging mustelid that occurs throughout range loss due to climate change. The proposed arctic, alpine, and boreal forest habitats of North listing has stimulated extensive debate on the America and Eurasia. The southern-most extant USFWS’s interpretation of climate change population of wolverines in North America impacts on wolverine populations and habitat occupies the Rocky Mountains of Idaho, Montana, suitability. The State of Idaho maintains that a and Wyoming, and the north Cascade Range threatened determination is not warranted due of Washington. Wolverines have specialized to the high level of uncertainty related to climate habitat needs, including enormous space change effects on wolverines and their habitat. requirements and affinity Idaho Department of to areas characterized Fish and Game’s (IDFG) by persistent snow cover mission with respect to and cool temperatures. species conservation Wolverines naturally is to preserve, protect, occur in low densities perpetuate, and manage across their global range. all Idaho’s wildlife to Current western U.S. ensure their persistence population estimates and to preclude the range from 250 to 318 necessity of protection individuals, reflecting the through Endangered estimated population Species Act listing. prior to European This Management Plan settlement. These levels for the Conservation suggest that wolverines of Wolverines in Idaho have reclaimed large (Plan) was prepared to expanses of their Photo by Blakeley Adkins. proactively lead state historical range in the efforts to maintain contiguous U.S. after historical lows or local viable populations of wolverines in Idaho. We extirpations in the early 1900s. This pattern envision the Plan to serve as a voluntary guidance is evident in Idaho, where wolverines have document to lead conservation efforts at the been reported in 34 of 44 (77%) counties and state and local level, and advance communication presently occur in most, if not all, historically and collaboration among wildlife and land occupied habitat in Idaho. This resurgence is likely managers and the various constituencies attributed to the important refugia provided by important to wolverine conservation in Idaho. Idaho’s large wilderness areas and the wolverine’s The Plan is organized into the following sections: status as a state-protected species since 1965. The wolverine is recognized as an Idaho Species • Background context and IDFG policy and of Greatest Conservation Need in the Idaho State legal framework for developing the plan; Wildlife Action Plan based on low rangewide populations and lack of state population trend • Information on wolverine ecology, distribution, information. and conservation status; In February 2013, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife • Identification and discussion of potential Service (USFWS) published proposed rules to list threats to wolverine populations in Idaho; wolverines in the contiguous U.S. as a threatened Idaho Department of Fish & Game v Management Plan for the Conservation of Wolverines in Idaho 2014–2019 • Identification of priority areas for wolverine • Support the development and use of conservation in Idaho; inventory and monitoring systems to assess wolverine vulnerability to climate change. • An outline of objectives, strategies, and conservation actions to maintain viable • Further understand potential impacts to wolverine populations and enhance wolverine population viability as a result of knowledge of wolverine ecology in Idaho. disturbance from dispersed snow sports recreation. The Plan identifies 7 conservation objectives, with strategies and conservation actions to achieve • Continue to minimize injury and mortality those objectives, to be implemented over the of wolverines from incidental trapping and next 5 years (2014-2019). Objectives are: shooting. • Collaborate across multiple jurisdictions • Generate support and partnerships for and spatial