Fisher Story Follow Up...

So some of you may have read or heard about the infamous Fisher sighting that took place last spring in the 6-mile preserve on south hill. In case you haven't heard, there is a story about the sighting in this forum.

Anyways, there is a local tracker in the area-Linda Spielman who seems to be quite knowledgeable about creatures and tracking. She caught wind of the story and approached Becky and I on Primitive Pursuits day to ask more about it. I told her I had found a hair that could have possibly come from the Fisher. I gave it to her to compare with some specimens she thought she had...After months and months, she just got back to me. I have always felt that if someone in the know could confirm that it is indeed a fisher hair than there would be no question as to what kind of tree climbing mammal we saw that early spring evening.

Sadly, Linda could not find her collection of Fisher hairs, so she was unable to compare the hair we gave her to her known specimens. However, hope is not lost...Linda wrote that a few weeks ago she saw fresh Fisher tracks up at Hammond Hill in Dryden. She believes Fishers are certainly making a comeback in our region...which is exciting because it is not yet a widespread realization (the DEC still does not acknowledge them being around here). Historically, the Fisher has been found all throughout the northeast, including the finger lakes, but because of logging and trapping in the past, their numbers dwindled. I found a map that compares Fisher's historical range to their current range. If you're interested you can check it out here: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/species/fisher/range.html Currently, the range map indicates that in NY state Fishers are only found in the Catskills and Adirondacks. However, by exercising some awareness, it can be concluded that Fishers are reclaiming parts of their historical range.