Registered: 02/05/03
Posts: 3293
Loc: Portland, OR
Yes, it is good news that a wolverine from Idaho found its way to the Sierras, but you have to temper that news with the sad fact that even a population of a hundred Sierra wolverines would be in a precarious situation in terms of long-term viability. Very small populations always live on the edge of extinction. There's no evidence this one can even find a mate.
Then again, even new volcanic islands eventually acquire diverse populations. How quickly they get populated depends on how close they are to mainlands or established islands.
The Sierra has similarities to an island, in that the wolverine had to cross some hostile territory to get there from Idaho. As long as there are wolverines in Idaho, there's a chance they'll re-establish in the Sierras.
A really great book on population ecology and extinction is Song of the Dodo by David Quammen. I highly recommend it to everyone.
Maybe, and this is just speculation, but just maybe someone from Idaho caught a wolverine and relocated it to the Sierra's. And just maybe this same person will do the same again... OK, that wouldn't be right. Perhaps maybe a repopulation effort could take place with the recent news. It could be called the Wolverine Reclamation Act, could even call for the demolition of a few highways while were at it.. Hey, we got wolves back in Yellowstone..........
Registered: 12/26/08
Posts: 382
Loc: Maine/New Jersey
And the carrying capacity of the place.
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"To me, hammocking is relaxing, laying, swaying. A steady slow morphine drip without the risk of renal failure." - Dale Gribbel
I've hiked and camped both in this area and the area he was photographed using a remote camera (presuming it's the same one). Interestingly, it's also the only place in the Sierra I've seen mountain lion tracks.
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