Wolverines in Wyoming
(Due to a scheduling problem, Nichole Bjornlie was unable to present the wolverine program in November. Nichole will be here for the January program. Below is a repeat of the announcement.)
Wolverines (Gulo gulo) have long been popular in mythology, as sports mascots, and recently as the well-known star of a popular Marvel comic. However, despite their popularity, wolverines are rarely seen and little is known about their status and distribution in Wyoming, which lies at the southern edge of their continental range. Join Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Mammal Biologist Nichole Bjornlie to learn about wolverine ecology and history in Wyoming, and the current work being conducted by the Department to learn more about this popular, but secretive species. Nichole will also touch on some of the work being done on other nongame mammals in Wyoming.
Nichole has been working in conservation and management of nongame and sensitive mammals since 2006. An Iowa native, Nichole received her BS in Animal Ecology from Iowa State University in 2006 and her MS in Natural Resources from the University of Arizona in 2009, studying the ecology and space utilized by the endemic Arizona gray squirrel. Since joining the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in 2010, she has worked with species ranging from prairie dogs, pygmy rabbits, and Preble’s meadow jumping mice, to swift fox, black-footed ferrets, and bats. In March of 2015, Nichole started as the Nongame Mammal Biologist and is in charge of overseeing all nongame mammal management and research for the State of Wyoming.
Come and hear more about this ongoing study on Friday, January 8, 2016, at 7 PM at the Oil & Gas Conservation Commission Building at 2211 King Blvd. As always, the program is free and open to the public!!
PROGRAM CHAIR—Bruce Walgren