Integral Ecology Research Center

The Environmental Impacts of Illicit Cannabis Cultivation Have Just Recently Begun to Be Understood. the Fisher, a Species Recently Listed as Endangered in the Isolated Southern Sierra Nevada Population, Is Known to Be Subject to the Threats From Pesticides and Other Poisons Used at Cultivation Sites Throughout Their Range in California. the Sublethal Threats, However, Are Less Understood. How These Sites Affect Fisher Space Use, Behavior, and Reproduction Are Necessary Pieces of Information That Will Help Quantify the Cumulative Impacts These Sites Have on Fisher Population Viability. in This Project, We Will Investigate Reproductive Success of Fishers Known to Use Cultivation Sites With Associated Pesticides and Habitat Destruction in Comparison to Fishers Outside of Cultivation-impacted Areas. We Will Also Track Fisher Movement and Use of the Risky Features of Cultivation Sites Using Remote Cameras and Gps-collared Fishers, Both Before the Sites Are Reclaimed (cleaned-up) and After Reclamation. This Will Allow for a Quantitative Evaluation of How These Sites and Their Associated Environmental Threats Affect the Normal Activity Patterns and Movement Behavior of Fishers. by Continuing to Track Them After Reclamation, We Can Identify If Reclamation Allows Fishers to Resume Normal Activity Patterns Through the Comparison of Pre- and Post-reclamation Home Ranges, Movement, and Space Use.