In the News

Biologists Study Sensitive Wildlife in the Tahoe Basin
date posted: February 4 2004

By John Cobourn, Water Resource Specialist;
Heather Segale, Environmental Education Coordinator; University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

Biologists have recently reconfirmed the presence of the American (pine) marten (Martes Americana) in several locations within the Tahoe Basin, and this is good news. The pine marten is a forest carnivore, also classed as a fur-bearer, that is an indicator of a healthy forest ecosystem. Like the wolf or the grizzly bear, it is associated with wild places. The Pine Marten is a member of the weasel family, which also includes minks, wolverines and fishers. These kinds of species are near the top of the food web, and since they hunt other animals, their presence reflects healthy populations of the prey species as well. Martens like old-growth forests, but they have been observed in many types of forests.

Biologists reported early in the 20th century that Martens were present throughout the Sierra Nevada. However, Pine Marten populations have plummeted throughout much of their historic range in the western United States, as their habitat has been lost to timber harvest, urban development, increased off-highway vehicle use and other human disturbances. Because they often cease to live where human development occurs, they are regarded as a “sensitive species” by the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU), and as a “species of special concern” by the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Until recent years, relatively little was known about the numbers of small- and medium- sized fur-bearers throughout the Tahoe Basin. The LTBMU of the USDA Forest Service conducted surveys in 1993. Since then, other agencies have surveyed for pine martens using remote sensory camera stations and smoked aluminum track plates. Shawn Espanosa, Nevada Division of Wildlife, conducted surveys using remote sensory camera stations in 2002 and 2003, and the USDA Forest Service’s LTBMU, with the help of the Desert Research Institute, conducted surveys in and around Heavenly Ski Area in winter 2002-2003. California State Parks used snow tracking and remote sensory cameras 2000-2003. Pine martens have been detected at every California State Park Unit from Burton Creek to Emerald Bay State Parks.

California State Parks has also used these camera stations as an environmental education tool. Wildlife biologist, Stewart McMorrow, works with elementary schools at Tahoe to help school kids learn about their own backyard. He sets up camera stations near a school site with the help of the kids, and makes classroom presentations to increase awareness of what animals are active in the winter months, right outside their door. When the cameras are unloaded, and the contents are presented to the kids, they are always surprised at what the pictures show. Bears, raccoons, pine martens, flying squirrels, long-tailed weasels, striped skunks, squirrels and even birds are captured on film at the bait stations. This is an example of place-based learning, a promising teaching technique being offered to Tahoe teachers by Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships, Adopt-A-Watershed, and the Lake Tahoe Environmental Education Coalition.

These cameras can also tell land managers more about regional wildlife. For instance, they can observe the general health of an animal and the time of day when it was feeding. Sometimes individual animals can be identified by characteristic markings seen in the photos. It is also possible to see if the animal has recently had babies, and sometimes the babies are seen in the photos. The remote sensory camera station is a great way to assess the presence of certain animals without having to disturb them in any way other than the surprise of a flash bulb going off at night.

Some of the funding for this kind of wildlife research comes from the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP). This comprehensive program includes funding for research and for restoration projects for the entire Lake Tahoe ecosystem. Though much attention is focused on the loss of Lake Tahoe’s water clarity, scientists insist that restoring the lake can only be accomplished through protection of all Tahoe’s environmental resources. These include soils, vegetation, water quality, air quality, and forest health, which includes fuels reduction and wildlife habitat. Because these environmental elements are interconnected, the discovery of American pine martens at Lake Tahoe is a sign of hope for the future of our natural communities.

Watch for “The Lake Tahoe Report” on KOLO-TV News Channel 8 Tuesdays at 5 p.m. to learn more. Next week, we will take a look at some low impact winter recreation activities. “The Lake Tahoe Report” is a collaborative effort of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Education Coalition, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, UC Davis and the USDA Forest Service. For more information, contact Heather Segale, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, (775) 832-4138, or logon to www.lteec.org or www.unce.unr.edu.