While skiing in the Kettle River Range in mid-March, friends and I came across fresh animal tracks over recently fallen snow. The tracks were clearly of the pattern made by mustelidae (weasel family) species with a characteristic and partially offset "two, two, two" bounding gate.  There were two sets of tracks with the largest measuring 2.75 inches wide, rounded (as compared to canine species which are more oval shaped), and with five toes. I snapped several pictures with my cellphone; however, partly cloudy weather created poor contrast, making it hard for wildlife specialists to clearly identify the tracks.

Referencing Peterson's Field Guide to Animal Tracks, the tracks fit both wolverine and fisher species, however the location of tracks in the high alpine (above 6,000 feet) and the large "v" shaped claw marks indicated wolverine as the more likely species. According to Colville National Forest biologist Chris Loggers, there have been other reports of wolverine tracks in the high Kettles. Wolverines are in dire straights in the US after the US Fish and Wildlife Service declared it will not use the Endangered Species Act to assist what is one of the rarest forest mammals in the West (see our What's Hot article).

And speaking of tracks, prints found recently in the Kettles match up with Canada lynx. Again, the USFWS missed an opportunity to protect another Northwest icon when it excluded the area from a recently released critical habitat assessment.

And then there was the ptarmigan, the smallest grouse of North America and rare east of the Cascades, sighted a couple years ago. The Columbia Highlands, such a wild place!

While on an adventure in Washington wildlands, have you seen tracks that were potentially left by rare animals? Be sure to document them if possible and report it to the ranger station, USFWS Wolf-Bear Hotline at 1-888-wolfbear, or a regional office of the  Department of Fish and Wildlife.