Martens Articles

Discover the Park – Wildlife

New research published: Apostle Islands play key role in regional spread of American marten populations

New research published: Apostle Islands play key role in regional spread of American marten populations

Consider yourself fortunate if you've seen an American marten on the Apostle Islands. These small, fur-bearing mammals are hard to spot but fun to watch. The slender-bodied, state-endangered weasels are also the subject of ongoing research by scientists at the University of Wisconsin. Their work was the subject of a session at the 50th Anniversary Research Stewardship Symposium. It's also the basis for a new scientific paper. The researchers used DNA from hair samples to estimate how many animals are in the park and where their relatives live. They published the results of that work in late...

American Martens on the Apostle Islands

American Martens on the Apostle Islands

Rapid environmental change is reshaping ecosystems and driving species loss globally. Carnivore populations have declined and retracted rapidly and have been the target of numerous translocation projects. Identifying refuges, locations that are resistant to environmental change, should improve population recovery and persistence. American martens (Martes americana) were extirpated across much of the Great Lakes region by the 1930s and, despite multiple translocations beginning in the 1950s, martens remain of regional conservation concern. Surprisingly, martens were rediscovered in 2014 on...