Two people fishing on the Columbia River near Portland Monday morning, March 20, spotted and captured on film one of the rarest of Oregon sights.
A wolverine.
This marked the first confirmed report of the animal, listed in the state as threatened, outside of the Wallowa mountains in more than 30 years. It’s more numerous in Canada and Alaska, with smaller populations in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Oregon, which lies at the southern edge of North America’s current wolverine range.
The unidentified anglers’ photos were subsequently shared with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Cascadia Wild, a nonprofit that conducts community science wildlife surveys for wolverines on Mt. Hood. Both sent staff to the reported site the following day, where they verified both the location and photo date and found a set of tracks.
“Given the proximity to Portland, we were very surprised when this report came in and elated when we were able to verify the sighting,” ODFW District Wildlife Biologist Dave Keiter said. “We really appreciate the people who reported this rare occurrence and Cascadia Wild who helped us confirm the report and begin monitoring efforts.”
The groups deployed two noninvasive monitoring stations, both of which consist of a motion-detecting camera and a hair-collecting device baited with a strong-smelling attractant. Cascadia Wild volunteers searched for additional tracks and signs nearby and collected two unidentified scats, which may be genetically tested for individual identification.
It is believed that this specific animal was dispersing, as the area’s habitat wouldn’t meet its life history requirements. Wolverines can travel more than 30 miles in a day, making it likely that this one has moved on.
Cascadia Wild and ODFW encourage people to report additional sightings of the wolverine.
“Some of the best information on wildlife can come from regular people who are paying attention to what they see,” Cascadia Wild wolverine tracking coordinator Teri Lysak said. “Many thanks to the couple who saw this animal and took the time to share it with us.”
The group’s Wolverine Tracking Project (www.cascadiawild.org/join-the-wtp.html) and Mt. Hood National Forest surveys include winter tracking, summer scat and year-round camera surveys. The surveys are part of a long-term research project collecting data on the forest’s rare carnivores and other wildlife.
Wolverines are thought to have been extirpated from Oregon by 1936, though sightings have been documented from the 1960s to the 1990s, including in Linn, Harney, Wheeler, Deschutes and Grant counties.
Most accounts are difficult to verify. However, a wolverine struck by a car on Interstate 84 near Cascade Locks was surrendered to ODFW in 1990.
A 2010-2012 monitoring project confirmed three wolverines in northeastern Oregon, an area with no prior documentation.
In 2008, one of likely Rocky Mountain origins was confirmed in Northern California, the first such evidence in almost 90 years. The most recent observation of a wolverine in Oregon took place in Wallowa County in 2022.
As part of a survey effort covering seven western states, ODFW staff deployed and monitored 20 wolverine bait stations during the fall and winter of 2021-22 across modeled habitat in Oregon, primarily the Cascades and northeast Oregon.
Only one detected a wolverine.
Based on photographic evidence of healed front-foot injuries and unique chest coloration, it was identified as the resident adult male that had been documented in the area since 2011.