Surveying North Idaho critters

A wolverine comes into a bait station in the Selkirk Mountains monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-Species Basline Initiative )

Volunteers from the Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness snowshoe miles into a bait station site in the Purcel Mountains to help with the North Idaho Multi-Species Baseline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department.

Mark Cochran of Sandpoint carefully crosses a log over a stream as his group snowshoes to monitoring site for the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department.

Mark Cochran of the Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness removes wire gun cleaning brushes from a tree during a wolverine research project in North Idaho. Volunteers visit baited sites to see if hair from wolverines climbing up to the bait is collected by the brushes for DNA sampling.

Volunteers from the Friends of the Scotchman Peaks wilderness make a quick scan through digital photos from a motion-activated camera at a bait station to if wolverines or other rare carnivores had been photographed.

A Canada lynx is one of about 20 wildlife species photographed by motion-activated cameras as they came into bait stations in the Idaho Panhandle region mountains. The project is monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-species Baseline Initiative)

A marten is one of about 20 wildlife species photographed by motion-activated cameras as they came into bait stations in the Idaho Panhandle region mountains. The project is monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-species Baseline Initiative)

Chris Bachman, founder of the Sierra Club’s Inner City Outings program in Spokane, led a group of youth’s into the backcountry on snowshoes to monitor a bait station for the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Friends of the Scotchman-Peaks Wilderness)

A deer is one of about 20 wildlife species photographed by motion-activated cameras as they came into bait stations in the Idaho Panhandle region mountains. The project is monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-species Baseline Initiative)

One must think a moment to determine which of of about 20 wildlife species photographed by motion-activated cameras is coming into a bait station set up for the Multi-species Baseline Initiative. (Multi-species Baseline initiative)

An elk is one of about 20 wildlife species photographed by motion-activated cameras as they came into bait stations in the Idaho Panhandle region mountains. The project is monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-species Baseline initiative)

An ermine (winter white phase of a weasel) is one of about 20 wildlife species photographed by motion-activated cameras as they came into bait stations in the Idaho Panhandle region mountains. The project is monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-species Baseline initiative)

A fisher is one of about 20 wildlife species photographed by motion-activated cameras as they came into bait stations in the Idaho Panhandle region mountains. The project is monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-species Baseline initiative)

A flying squirrel is one of about 20 wildlife species photographed by motion-activated cameras as they came into bait stations in the Idaho Panhandle region mountains. The project is monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-species Baseline initiative)

Whoa! Six flying squirrels at once one a bait stations in the Idaho Panhandle region mountains. The project is monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-species Baseline initiative)

John Harbuck, a volunteer from the Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, prepares a tree for a bait station in the Purcel Mountains to help with the North Idaho Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-species Baseline initiative)

Jacob Styer pauses for a photo by Jim Mellen in the longest trek made this winter by volunteers from the Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness to help with the Multi-species Baseline Initiative. The backcountry skiers, including Jake Ostman, covered 24 miles round trip with 5,000 feet of elevation gain in a single day. (Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness)

A snowshoe hare is one of about 20 wildlife species photographed by motion-activated cameras as they came into bait stations in the Idaho Panhandle region mountains. The project is monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-species Baseline initiative)

A marten is one of about 20 wildlife species photographed by motion-activated cameras as they came into bait stations in the Idaho Panhandle region mountains. The project is monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-species Baseline initiative)

Volunteers from the Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness skied tricky terrain and creek crossings to reach a bait station site in the Purcel Mountains to help with the North Idaho Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness)

Volunteers from the Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness skied tricky terrain and creek crossings to reach a bait station site in the Purcel Mountains to help with the North Idaho Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness)

A Steller’s jay is photographed by a motion-activated camera as it comes into a bait station in the Idaho Panhandle region mountains. The project is monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-species Baseline initiative)

A wildlife biologist checks a track that appears to be from a cougar as a group snowshoe’s out from monitoring a bait station in the Idaho Panhandle region mountains. The research project is monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness)

Melissa Demotte, front, and Lora Adams, snowshoe out with other volunteers from the Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness after checking a bait station site in the Purcel Mountains to help with the North Idaho Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department.

A moose is one of about 20 wildlife species photographed by motion-activated cameras as they came into bait stations in the Idaho Panhandle region mountains. The project is monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-species Baseline initiative)

A red fox is one of about 20 wildlife species photographed by motion-activated cameras as they came into bait stations in the Idaho Panhandle region mountains. The project is monitored by the Multi-Species Basline Initiative research organized by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. (Multi-species Baseline initiative)