Ask most people in Washington State if they’ve heard of a fisher, and they’ll probably say, “Oh yeah, my grandpa was a fisher.” But did you also know that a fisher is also a beautiful, chocolate colored, furry, cat-sized animal with cute round ears that lives in our old-growth forests? Or at least they used to. Biologists sadly declared the fisher gone from Washington State a few decades ago. But that’s all history now.

A few weeks ago at Olympic National Park, I had the opportunity to witness something truly historic:  The return of the fisher to Washington’s forests. I had never seen a fisher before, and neither had most of the 40 or so people who came to observe the event, including Conservation Northwest’s Mitch Friedman and Paul Bannick. As the biologists carried out the first fisher-filled crate, we all watched in silent anticipation, wondering what type of wild creature was going to come charging out the door. After the speeches and kudos were given, a student from a local school gingerly lifted the crate door. An unidentifiable brown critter streaked out and was quickly reintegrated back into the old-growth ecosystem where it once thrived. Just like that. Mitch said it was one of the most memorable moments of his life. Hard to believe such a simple act of restoration took five years to accomplish!

Now that fishers are back, it will be interesting to see how they do. Will they survive in their new home? How will their presence affect the small mammal populations and other plants and animals in the forest? We’re going to be part of an ongoing monitoring effort to try and find answers to some of these questions. As Paul said on the way home, “The Olympic National Park has a different feel to me now, just knowing that fishers are there.”