In this talk we review the recent fisher research and monitoring
efforts that have occurred throughout Idaho and Montana in past
2 decades. We begin this talk with a summary of the habitat relationship
work that has examined fisher habitat use at multiple scales.
These have largely been conducted using radio and satellite telemetry,
although a new, joint effort to use GPS tags on fisher to understand
their habitat use in multiple-use, xeric stands is underway.
Next we discuss our progress in the arena of molecular genetics
and genomics. We note the progress that has been made in the
realms of phylogenetics and taxonomy, population genetics, landscape
genetics, and understanding gene flow. We also discuss needs
to begin to examine genomic markers under selection to better
understand how fishers that we reintroduced into Idaho and Montana
from both British Columbia and the Midwestern United States have
adapted compared to fishers that have native genes that persisted
in the Bitterroot Mountains. Subsequently, we review several
fisher species distribution modeling efforts, including efforts
to project these models under various climate change scenarios.
Finally we review our multiple agency monitoring work, describing
what these efforts can tell us about fishers (i.e., distribution)
and what we still need to understand (i.e., trends). We end this
discussion with an honest critique of our progress to date on
these research areas, and provide some open-ended questions to
help us develop a research agenda for this rare carnivore for
the coming decade.

Keywords: fisher, habitat use, multiple scales

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