The CWHL is investigating the health of free-ranging American martens in collaboration with Dr. Stacy McNulty (SUNY ESF Adirondack Ecological Center) and Dr. Paul Jensen (SUNY ESF). This work will build on ongoing research in the Adirondacks, where martens are live-trapped and fitted with GPS collars to study population responses to mast production and prey availability.
As part of this effort, martens are anesthetized with isoflurane for collar placement. Having anesthetized animals in hand provides a valuable opportunity to assess health at both the individual and population level through comprehensive physical examinations and biological sample collection for health and disease screening. We are collecting blood, feces, oral swabs, and hair for various diagnostic tests, including avian influenza virus, canine distemper virus, parvovirus, SARS-CoV-2, anticoagulant rodenticides, and lead. By integrating health data with food availability, movement, and habitat-use information, this project will help clarify the drivers of marten populations in the Adirondacks and the broader northeastern U.S. In particular, it will improve our understanding of how fluctuations in critical food resources shape population dynamics and how additional stressors such as disease may further influence these relationships.
