Fisher pekania penanti historically occupied much of western oregon in the coast range and cascade mountains but by the MID20TH century they had been largely extirpated from the state

Their present distribution in the state is limited to a native population in the siskiyou mountains and a reintroduced population in the southerncascades. The odfw western wildlife research lab in collaboration with partners at federal agencies and inacademia have been monitoring the distribution and demographic structure of native fisher in the siskiyoumountains using noninvasive genetic sampling since 2017. Through six years of noninvasive population monitoringwe have seen limited variation in estimated population density between years and consistently male biased sexratios. The factors influencing these demographic patterns however remain unknown but could be caused byhabitat interspecific dynamics e.g. predation competition pathogens and disease or issues associated withcurrent sampling methods such as poor detectability. In 2023 we initiated a gpstelemetry study to betterunderstand survival and mortality spatial ecology and habitat associations of fisher.fisher prefer habitats characterized by a complex understory structure that provides opportunities to rest denand hunt. This sort of habitat however poses a significant wildfire risk and efforts to thin forests andreduce fuel loads in highrisk firesheds is a top priority for federal and local land management agencies. Wewill use gpstelemetry data from collared fisher to describe habitat use patterns in areas where thinning andfuel reduction projects are planned or in progress. We will also track locations of collared female fisher toidentify locations of DEN sites used for kit rearing. Obtaining a better understanding of site and standcharacteristics at denning locations in SW oregon will help to ensure that thinning and fuels reduction projectsdo not alter or destroy habitat that is critical for reproduction. We also captured and collared sympatriccompetitors to evaluate the extent to which they may be limited by resource competition from the gray foxurocyon cinereoargenteus which was identified as a primary competitor in northern california. This effort willprovide critical insight into realized and potential connectivity between these populations. The outcomes of thismultifaceted project will odfw and federal agencies to better assess limits to fisher population recovery andexpansion into unoccupied habitat in southern oregon.