Game Commission may release 300 American martens in Pennsylvania, pending public review
The general public has the opportunity to comment on the proposed reintroduction of about 300 American Martens in parts of Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners approved Saturday the release of the draft “American Marten Reintroduction and Management Plan for Pennsylvania.” It’s a long-term, 10-year strategy to bring the species back to the state, and then conduct comprehensive monitoring to evaluate that reintroduction.
Martens, a roughly 2-pound predator, lived in Pennsylvania more than 100 years ago, but was extirpated because of deforestation and unregulated harvesting. “This does not mean we are putting martens on the landscape in Pennsylvania tomorrow. This is a public comment period. If you love the idea, we want to hear from you. If you hate the idea, we also want to hear from you. So please get your thoughts, ideas and suggestions in to us,” Board of Commissioners President Kristen Schnepp-Giger said Saturday during the meeting in Erie.
The draft plan includes having five locations in northcentral Pennsylvania where martens would be placed. Public lands under consideration include the Hammersley Wild Area; Wolf Run Wild Area; Allegheny National Forest; Loyalsock State Forest; and state game lands 025, 293, 014 and 068.
Each location, which will be a large tract of public land, would have 60 microchipped Martens released. In the future, “if we catch one without (a microchip), we would know then that it would be that second generation or third generation,” Thomas Keller, the agency’s furbearer biologist, said in a telephone interview.
Some of the martens would also be fitted with radio transmitter collars for tracking purposes. The agency is looking to source the animals from other states and has received support from Maine, Michigan and New York.
The agency has had three independent public surveys about the topic conducted through Penn State University and Responsive Management. Keller said the responses from the last survey were 80 percent in favor, 11 percent didn’t know and 8 percent opposed. “I’m very pleased that this survey was very similar to the first two surveys,” he said about getting consistent results. Penn State conducted surveys in 2022 and 2023 and Responsive Management conducted a survey this summer.
“To find that we had consistency across all three of those was very encouraging to know that at least we really do feel confident that what we are seeing is what the public is feeling,” Keller said.
If the plan is approved, the animals will be caught in live traps and monitored through the help of partnering groups like the Pennsylvania Trappers Association and Elmwood Park Zoo, ZooAmerica in Hershey and Wildlife Futures. “All these partners will have a role to play,” Keller said about supporting the implementation and moving the animals.
With selecting release sites, he said the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service have been supportive of the idea. “A lot of the good marten habitat is on their lands,” Keller said.
The small animals have a diet that consists of small mammals such as voles, mice and shrews as well as insects and plants. Martens are subject to predation from coyotes, fishers and owls.
Ongoing research: Biologist optimistic about reintroducing American martens in Pennsylvania
With final board approval, the project could start in 2024. Over the 10 years, the work is expected to cost $2,030,584 including coordination, translocation of the animals and monitoring and research efforts.
The plan and other details about martens can be viewed at the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.pa.gov. Comments about the plan can emailed to PAmarten@pa.gov by Nov 15. Keller is hopeful people will share their opinions and suggestions.
“Your opinion matters, we are really interested in hearing what people think of the plan. Comments will be summarized and the plan will be revised as is needed based on what comments we get in. It’s important for folks to understand that in Pennsylvania wildlife belongs to all Pennsylvanians and this is a part of the wildlife management process, engaging Pennsylvanians with this resource that really belongs to them,” he said.
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, X @whipkeyoutdoors and Instagram at whipkeyoutdoors.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Where are American martens to be released?
