5th International Martes Symposium
September 8-12, 2009
University of Washington, Seattle
Please set aside the week of September 8-12, 2009
to attend the 5th International Martes Symposium
at the University of Washington in Seattle. The
theme of our next symposium will be: Biology and
Management of Martens and Fishers: a New
Synthesis. One of the objectives of this
gathering will be to update review or synthesis
topics that were featured in the 1st Martes
Symposium book in 1994, and in some subsequent
proceedings. Topics covered previously include
evolutionary history, phylogenetic relationships,
distribution and status, population structure and
spacing, remote detection and population
monitoring, reproductive biology, habitat
ecology, food habits, and translocations. Recent
developments in our field will likely necessitate
additional review chapters on the use of genetic
data in Martes research and conservation,
relations with snow and the potential effects of
global warming, and probably others.
We will kick off the symposium on the evening of
Tuesday, September 8 with a welcoming reception
at the University of Washingtons Burke Museum,
with wine, beer, and hors doeuvres provided to
help fuel the festivities. The Burke Museum is
the largest and most active natural history
museum in the region, so if youre interested in
using of any of their collections, contact
information for curators is available on the
museums website
(<http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum>http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum).
Participants will enjoy a special treat during
the receptionwell-known Northwest artist Ray
Troll will be presenting his new exhibit,
Cruisin the Fossil Freeway, at the Burke
Museum at the time of the symposium, and the
exhibit will be open to participants during the
welcoming reception. Wednesday, Thursday, and
Friday (Sept. 9-11) will be devoted to oral and
poster presentations. The formal portion of the
symposium will culminate on Friday night with our
traditional banquetso please start thinking
about items to bring for the raffle!
The symposium will end with an all-day field trip
to the Olympic Peninsula on Saturday, September
12. Fishers were once common in Washington, but
were extirpated from the state during the 20th
century by overtrapping and habitat loss. During
the winter of 2007-08, several state and federal
resource management agencies initiated the
reintroduction of fishers to Washington with the
release of 18 fishers from British Columbia to
the Olympic Mountains. Their current plan is to
release about 100 more fishers over the next two
years. We will tour points of interest in the
fisher study area led by researchers involved in
the reintroduction, and see habitats ranging from
alpine meadows to old-growth temperate rainforests.
To facilitate the planning process, it would be
extremely helpful for us to know how many members
of the Martes Working Group are likely to attend
the symposium. Accordingly, we have developed a
brief survey that will help us estimate the
number of people who will participate in each of
the major events at the symposium. We ask that
you please navigate to this website
(<http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=1yolTGfXw13DNJtegeJwlw_3d_3d>http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=1yolTGfXw13DNJtegeJwlw_3d_3d)
and answer several multiple-choice questions
about your potential attendance at the 5th
International Martes Symposium. Thanks very much
for your help with our planning.
Please hold these dates and spread the word about
our upcoming symposium to colleagues. The Martes
5 Symposium website is working
(<http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/buskirk/martes5/>http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/buskirk/martes5/);
please check it for updates and news. We look
forward to seeing you in Seattle in September 2009!
Keith Aubry, Planning Committee Chair
USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research
Station; <file:///[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bill Zielinski
USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research
Station; <file:///[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Martin Raphael
USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research
Station; <file:///[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Gilbert Proulx
Alpha Wildlife Research & Management Ltd.;
<file:///[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Steve Buskirk
University of Wyoming, Department of Zoology and
Physiology; <file:///[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
