This is an earlier progress report of the wolverine study still underway in southeastern British Columbia (see record, Krebs and Lewis 1999). As described in detail in the excerpts from the more recent progress report, the low densities and negative population growth measured in this study makes it highly questionable that Canadian wolverines will "rescue" populations in the United States as they likely did in the past.

Background
"In 1994, the Columbia Basin Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program (CBFWCP) in partnership with Parks Canada, BC Environment, Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, BC Forest Service and the Revelstoke Trappers Association initiated a population study of wolverine in the North Columbia Mountains (NCM) near Revelstoke, B.C. (Krebs et al. 1993). The project was developed in response to declining trapper harvests provincially, national (COSEWIC 1993) and international (Golden et al. 1993, Linden et al. 1994) concerns over wolverine population viability, mounting developmental pressures in wolverine habitat and lack of inventory and habitat requirement data to base management decisions upon. The Kootenay Wolverine Project is in its 4th year of 5.
This progress report presents the initial results from the first 30 months of field activity up to October 31, 1997 and summarizes field priorities for 1997-1998. Data analysis is minimal, since sample sizes are still small." (1)

A few other excerpts from this progress report are worth posting here:

Empirical data from the first two years of this study provides added evidence for the wolverine's need for areas remote from human activity and disturbance:
"All of the den sites described are located in remote, roadless valleys within the [Englemann Spruce Subalpine Fir] biogeoclimatic subzone. Despite a significant live-trapping effort in portions of the study area with road (and therefore trapper) access, we have only captured mature females in the more remote portions of the study area (Map 2). Two young females (F206 and F227) were caught in accessible sites, and it will be interesting to determine if they survive to reproduce." (9)

Of the first six known wolverine mortalities from this study, either four or five were human-caused:
"A total of 6 radio-collared animals have died during the study, 2 were commercially trapped (M201, M207), 1 was killed on the trans Canada Highway in GNP [Glacier National Park] (M211), 1 was killed on the CP Rail line in GNP (F223), 1 died of natural causes (F204) and 1 is unknown (F218). One trapper-killed animal (M201), had moved from Bigmouth Creek to Findlay Creek, a distance of at least 200 km." (9)

A final reminder from the authors, lest anyone take their hard-earned findings for granted!:
"The study of wolverine is logisitically difficult, expensive and data-sparse. Those considering a radio-telemetry study must be aware of the large commitment of time and effort required to extract information from this fascinating animal." (13)

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