Biologist optimistic about reintroducing American martens in Pennsylvania
The fate of the American Martens may be changing in Pennsylvania, thanks to a biologist and the people across the state who have embraced his plan for them.
Thomas Keller, furbearer biologist for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, has been traveling the commonwealth to meet with fellow biologists and the general public to discuss martens being reintroduced in northcentral Pennsylvania.
Martens are small animals weighing about 2 to 3 pounds. They are smaller than a fisher but not much bigger than a gray or fox squirrel. They are similar to the size of a mink. About a century ago, they were found in northcentral Pennsylvania. However, heavy foresting and an absence of regulation led to their disappearance from the landscape.
Most of their diet consists of small mammals such as voles, mice and shrews, as well as insects and plants.
In July the agency voted to have a reintroduction and management plan created for the native small furbearer in the wilds of Pennsylvania. Since then, Keller has given about 30 presentations about the small animal and more are planned into June.
“I’m trying to reach as many stakeholders as I can,” Keller said in telephone interview. He has been meeting with the public, universities, wildlife organizations and sportsmen associations. “I’m trying to do as much of this education before our July board meeting when I present the reintroduction management plan."
At that meeting, the Game Commission’s Bureau of Wildlife Management will present the plan to the agency’s board of commissioners for consideration. The board then could open the plan to a 60-day public comment period. The comments would help shape the plan’s final draft, which the board could vote to implement.
During his presentations, Keller has been asked why martens should be reintroduced.
“We know the marten was a common native species in Pennsylvania, and we know it was an important part of our overall ecological community," he said. “As we reintroduce species to the overall community, we see it continue to become healthier, we see healthier forests. The reason for that is, there are several important services that the marten brings.”
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Reasons for reintroducing martens
The agency's staff conducted a survey through Penn State University that revealed 92% of residents polled, including hunters and non-hunters, supported the reintroduction plan.
For economic reasons, the reintroduction would benefit local economies where the martens live. Tourists and residents are spending money to see wildlife, like Pennsylvania’s wild elk, whitetail deer, wild turkeys and the growth in the population of eagles.
Similarly, martens were an important part of the Native American culture - in stories and legends.
“Culturally, this was really an important species to many of the indigenous people around the Great Lakes which includes Pennsylvania,” he said. “I think what a lot of people don’t understand that 120 years ago, 100 years ago, we had lost most of our forest, and we lost a lot of our wildlife. Some species completely disappeared and some were driven to the brink."
Now the wilderness areas have returned, and Keller feels the habitat is able to support many of the species like deer, elk, turkey and eagles.
“We led the way, as far as the state goes, in reintroducing species. We have this opportunity to continue to do that with the American marten. That’s really why I feel that this legacy is an important aspect and justification for bringing back the species to Pennsylvania,” Keller said.
Some members of the public voiced concerns about their domestic poultry and backyard farms. Keller explained that Martens prefer to live in large tracts of woods, and they would be most suited to areas like the Pennsylvania Wilds area in northcentral Pennsylvania.
“If your chickens are protected from some of the predators we have now like raccoons, mink or weasels, they are definitely going to be protected against martens,” he said.
Martens, which don't adapt well outside the forest, are good for reducing the number of rodents and maintaining biological diversity. Martens are subject to predation themselves. In addition to birds of prey, they can be eaten by coyotes, fishers and bobcats.
One concern he has investigated is whether martens would impact wild turkey and grouse populations. Martens are looking for small rodents like mice, shrews and voles, he said. They also eat plants and insects.
“They are true omnivores so they do eat birds, they do eat squirrels and rabbits and lots of other species like fish, reptiles and amphibians, carrion and all kinds of things," he said.
“We couldn’t find any evidence of any kind of turkey of predation,” he said. They could eat a poult, but when you look at their diverse diet, there hasn’t been any evidence of turkeys being part of their diet. He said they could eat eggs if they found a nest, but “they are not a major nest predator.”
When the martens roam the landscape, they are looking for small predators more than nests, Keller said. When birds are on their nests in late spring and early summer, other food sources like insects, rodents and plants are abundant.
Keller is optimistic about the project and hopes the plan is approved and the reintroduction becomes a reality. “It’s not just an opportunity to bring a species back, but it’s an opportunity for folks to learn more about our history in Pennsylvania. How we lost all these species and how we were able to bring them back.”
He’s been working on the reintroduction effort for close to two years. If the final plan gets approved, the agency will attempt to work with other states and Canada, where martens are abundant, to live trap wild martens to place in Pennsylvania.
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Upcoming free forums
Several more presentations will be held across the state to give the public an opportunity to learn more about martens and speak to game commission staff. They include:
March 9, 6:30 to 8 p.m. – Game Commission Southeast Region Office, 253 Snyder Road, Reading
March 11, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. – John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, 8601 Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia
March 15, 6:30to 8 p.m. – Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, 100 Museum Road, Stevens
March 18, 2 to 3:30 p.m. – Elk Country Visitor Center, 950 Winslow Hill Road, Benezette
March 20, 6 to 7:30 p.m. – Tioga County Fairgrounds, 2258 Charleston Road, Wellsboro
March 21, 6 to 7:30 p.m. – Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority, 253 Transfer Road, Bellefonte
March 30, 6 to 7:30 p.m. – Game Commission Northeast Region Office, 3917 Memorial Highway, Dallas
April 4, 6:30 to 8 p.m. – Game Commission Southwest Region Office, 4820 Route 711, Bolivar
April 23, 2 to 3:30 p.m. – Game Commission Southcentral Region Office, 8627 William Penn Highway, Huntingdon
June 3, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Game Commission Northwest Region Office, 1509 Pittsburgh Road, Franklin
These events are free, and there is no need to register.
If you can’t attend an event, they agency’s website, pgc.pa.gov, has a story map, video and other information related to the reintroduction.
Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors ,Twitter @whipkeyoutdoors and Instagram at whipkeyoutdoors.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Pennsylvania Game Commission considers American marten reintroduction
