How the Fisher Came Back Home

The Antioch Review has just published my essay about the reintroduction of the fisher to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. The fisher is a member of the weasel family, about the size of a cat, and until about 50 or 60 years ago lived on the peninsula. The reintroduction project has been in process for two years, sponsored by the Olympic National Park and Washington State Fish and Wildlife. The U.S. Forest Service, Conservation Northwest, and several tribal nations have also played an important role.

Although I'm far from a scientist, I had a chance to see the process up close through my partner's work as a wildlife biologist here on the peninsula. I was moved and fascinated and knew I had to write about it.

Here's the link to an excerpt from my essay, "How the Fisher Came Back Home." The Antioch Review has been a wonderful home for many of my essays and I'm always pleased to have something in their pages.

For more on the fisher reintroduction, here's a link to Washington State Fish and Wildlife's pages on the project, with lots of photos and the most recent updates. And another link to a video clip of a fisher release last year.