Wolverine documentary screens in Troy

“They are really beautiful, they have short round ears and very soft, thick fur and a surprisingly not-weasely face. They’re cute, almost like a teddy bear, although they also have a really intense rumble that comes from deep in their throats” says Kristina Boyd, describing the wolverine, an animal in the spotlight in Lincoln County and in the rural west at the moment.

Boyd is the development director at Yaak Valley Forest Council [YVFC] and also a wildlife biologist, and her two careers have overlapped as she takes part in a study of wolverines in Fish, Wildlife, & Parks [FWP] regions and works with Shawna Kelsey, conservation education coordinator at YVFC, on wolverine education in local schools.

The study, which encompasses FWP regions in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, is an effort to get a grasp on wolverine and lynx habitat and employs game technicians to use baited game cameras and hair snagging for DNA in the most likely habitats.

One of the technician sites is in North West Peaks in the Yaak, and there are several other marginal sites within the Yaak that were put up for adoption by local non-profits and citizen scientists.

“When I first heard about the study, and that some of the marginal wolverine habitat areas up for adoption were in the Yaak I really wanted to do it” Boyd said “and thankfully, Montana Outdoor Legacy Foundation was able to fund both the site adoption that FWP biologist Tonya Chilton-Radandt and I are doing and the conservation education side of this in the documentary we’re showing. Shawna and I are going into schools and doing field trips with students.”

The field trips included setting up a demonstration field station on private property with Troy’s after school program.

“We tried to set them up like biologists would using game cameras generously loaned to us by Friends Of Scotchman’s Peak Wilderness, and we wired deer legs and lure to the site to attract wolverines. The lure is concentrated biological material and is very stinky” said Kelsey.

The 35 students who took part also got to make a cast of a wolverine footprint to help them identify tracks.

“Wolverines have huge feet relative to their 15-25 pounds, and lots of fur sticking out from between their toes” says Boyd, who has found herself up close and personal with the animals in the past when she participated in a study in Payette National Forest in Idaho.

“Wolverines can be fierce, especially moms with kits,” Boyd said “the traps used are like little log cabins because some animals will actually chew their way out. Wood is the safest material for an animal who is trying to get out. Although not considered a dangerous animal to humans in most circumstances, under no circumstance should a person approach or harass a wolverine lest they decide you are a threat and become aggressive in self-defense.”

Boyd and Kelsey also showed a wolverine documentary and presented at six science classes at Troy High School, as well as Troy Elementary sixth grade and the Yaak School.

“I had no idea how well received this information would be,” said Kelsey “everywhere I’ve been to tell people about the documentary we’re showing, people have a wolverine story. One guy said he thought it was a very small bear loping along. They can look an awful lot like a skunk or a badger too, so some people may have seen one but not known what it was.”

Wolverine: chasing the phantom will be screened at the Lincoln Theatre in Troy from 7-8 p.m. on Thursday, April 13. The screening will be followed by a presentation and discussion with FWP biologist Wendy Cole and USFC biologist Rick Yates. The event is sponsored by The Yaak Valley Forest Council and The Montana Outdoor Legacy Foundation. Admission is free.