The Wandering Naturalist Podcast

07/24/2025

If you just can't get enough fisher facts, check out this video from Dr. Michael Joyce about fishers! Angela and Dr. Joyce mention this talk briefly in episode 2 this month, it is full of awesome fisher facts!

https://youtu.be/tLF1jnmCRdg?si=r6HyORQmPwUGBZSi

Fisher Facts

Learn about these mysterious, furbearing creatures found in Minnesota forests. John Erb, wildlife research biologist, and Blane Klemek, wildlife manager, wil...

07/22/2025

YOU can contribute to fisher research in Minnesota! Please send any fisher sightings you have (preferably with a photo or video) to Dr. Michael Joyce so that he can take that into his research. Find his contact information at the link below!

https://nrri.umn.edu/faculty-staff/michael-joyce-phd

Fisher Facts

[email protected] +1 218 788 2656 Contact Address NRRI Duluth 5013 Miller Trunk Highway 311C Duluth, MN 55811 United States Platforms and Programs Habitat Program Associated Labs and Services Mammal Ecology Lab Professional Title Wildlife Ecologist Michael's research focuses broadly on wildlife eco...

07/21/2025

Thanks to everyone who went rafting with us on Saturday! We had a great time with Mississippi Gateway Regional Park staff as we found mussels, saw a Bald Eagle feed their young, and watched Peregrine Falcons soar overhead! We'll release the trip as an episode in January!

07/21/2025

Dr. Michael Joyce cautioned our listeners to think twice before you listen to the comments about fishers being mean. We cannot put human expectations on fishers. They are wild animals, so if they are provoked or in a scary situation they may defend themselves. Though they do not generally go out of their way to hurt a human or their pet. Remember, even though they are large for a weasel, they are still smaller than an average house cat!

https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2020/02/fishers-dont-give-a-damn-about-their-bad-reputation.html

Fisher Facts

Fishers get a pretty bad rep, but when they do, there's a great deal of projecting and anthropomorphizing going on.

07/20/2025

One of the interesting developments in the fisher population in Minnesota is its semi recent arrival into more southern parts of the state, even around the metro area. In the past, the fisher has primarily remained in northern Minnesota. With the arrival to more populated areas, Dr. Michael Joyce is seeing more fisher road kill than before.

https://fmr.org/updates/conservation/fishing-fishers-fmr-supports-new-study

Fisher Facts

Why is the fisher expanding its range to the southern part of the state, including the Twin Cities? And why is its population declining?

07/19/2025

Through the late 18th and early 19th century, logging and habitat changes across the United States pushed the fisher population into decline. Though conservation efforts, these populations increased enough that Minnesota can support a small trapping season.

https://www.fws.gov/story/2024-05/fisher-restoration-management-and-research-supported-through-wildlife-restoration

Fisher Facts

Found only in North America, fishers live in forested and semi-forested areas in Canada and the northern United States. Sometimes called fisher cats, these mammals are one of the largest members of the weasel family. They have the typical weasel shape with a long, slender body, short legs, and thick...

07/18/2025

Across the United States fishers have gotten little boosts here and there from restoration efforts. As predators, they have a vital role in the ecosystem to help balance certain prey populations. Additionally, Dr. Michael Joyce mentions that because they can travel such a great distance, they can also help spread beneficial fungal spores and diversify the forest fungus.

https://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/nature/fisher-reintroduction.htm

Fisher Facts

Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

07/17/2025

Check out this awesome video of a fisher being released after Dr. Michael Joyce's team is finished their work. She is so effortless in her tree climbing!

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1604077247003012

Fisher Facts

07/16/2025

Dr. Michael Joyce is the first guest on the podcast this month! We talked with him a few months ago about flying squirrels and he is BACK to talk about fishers! Dr. Joyce works with NRRI to help answer interesting questions about mammals. His current work is focused on the population changes and shifts of fishers.

https://give.umn.edu/stories/what-can-we-learn-fishers-forests

Fisher Facts

NRRI study expands statewide to understand why the weasel population is moving from north to south

07/15/2025

Fishers have a beautiful and thick coat which made them highly treasured during the fur trade. In fact, they were trapped and hunted so much during this time that we saw significant population decline. Thanks to restoration efforts, we are starting to see these populations come back up.

https://www.nationaltrappers.com/fisher.html

Fisher Facts

Learn more about the fisher, a commonly trapped furbearer in the United States.

07/14/2025

Fishers are one of the few animals that will hunt porcupines (which can take down quite a lot of foliage in northern forests). It is generally understood that a fisher will attack a porcupine's head repeatedly, always staying in front of the animal, until it has successfully killed it. Check out the video below for videos and a conversation about this interaction with Dr. Richard Powell, one of this month's guests.

https://youtu.be/Q3MR_N2ng84?si=Oa7lcIMH0t_5J6f0

Fisher Facts

As part of my quest to understand how fishers kill porcupines I show my best footage to Dr. Roger Powell, and he shares what he knows from years of tracking ...

07/14/2025

Join us on Saturday, July 19, at Mississippi Gateway Regional Park for an opportunity to be part of The Wandering Naturalist podcast. We will be recording a raft trip that will be aired in 2026 to celebrate the Big Year of Rivers. There's just a few spots left so sign up today!
https://mnthreeriversweb.myvscloud.com/webtrac/web/search.html?display=detail&FMID=552429044&Module=AR&_csrf_token=ab6J6X0B0X1D3743113D364O5O4N4655096T5R4K5F0C565T5V510K5Q4N6K4706014N6E5Q1T5U5J524C0363625B690H724T594Z0S60634T6B6C006D5F6H724N4S6Q