PORT ANGELES — The search for the elusive Pacific marten in Olympic National Park will be the topic of a lecture on Tuesday.
The lecture is part of the park’s Perspectives Winter Speaker Series, which is offered free at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. The talks will be in the Raymond Carver Room of the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St.
Betsy Howell, wildlife biologist for the Olympic National Forest, will discuss a survey that involves a number of partners and methods, including remote cameras and scent-detection dogs.
“Since 2008, federal partners have been working to better understand the conservation status of Pacific martens, small carnivores in the weasel family, on the Olympic Peninsula,” the park said in a news release.
“In the past 30 years there have been only 10 verifiable records of the species, all in high, remote locations.”
The first lecture in the series — which concerned sea otters, was offered last month.
The series is sponsored by Olympic National Park, the Friends of Olympic National Park, and the North Olympic Library System.
“We invite our neighbors and visitors to see Olympic National Park through new perspectives,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum.
“Science, research and collaboration provide new windows on the park and are all featured in this year’s series.”
Future lectures are:
• Jan. 8 — Wolves, Elk, Rivers and Trophic Cascades in Olympic National Park, by Kurt Jenkins, PhD, wildlife biologist wit the United States Geological Survey
This presentation explores evidence of possible ecological effects on the park’s riverine ecosystems as a result of wolf eradication nearly a century ago.
• Feb. 12 — The Edge of the Sea: Scales of Change on Olympic Coast Beaches, by Ian Miller, PhD, coastal hazard specialist with Washington Sea Grant.
Miller will discuss recent studies on Rialto and Kalaloch beaches and investigations of sea level change on the Olympic Coast.
• March 12 — Predators and Prey: Columbian Black-tailed Deer and Cougar Research on the Olympic Peninsula, by Kim Sager-Fradkin, wildlife biologist with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
Sager-Fradkin will share the results of a four-year study examining patterns of fawn and buck mortality on the North Olympic Peninsula, and will provide preliminary results on a study designed to answer questions about cougar population genetics, movement patterns, and prey selection.
• April 9 — A Witness to Change, by Janis Burger, Hurricane Ridge interpreter with Olympic National Park.
Burger will share photos and experiences gleaned over a 37-year career as a seasonal biological technician and longtime Hurricane Ridge interpreter.
