Robert F. Bukaty/AP
Brendan Rascius
Fri, January 27, 2023
One hundred years ago, a native species of the Keystone State disappeared. Now, state officials, backed by an overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians, are pushing to bring the animal back.
The state’s game commission is evaluating the potential reintroduction of the American marten, a small weasel with reddish fur and a bushy tail.
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the marten flourished in the hardwood forests in the northern region of the state, according to the game commission.
However, deforestation in the 18th and 19th centuries and unrestrained farming led to the animal’s destruction. The last martens in Pennsylvania were likely snuffed out in the 1920s, officials said.
Its absence did not go without consequences. The creature is a “missing ecological community member” within the state’s wooded areas, game officials said in a Jan. 27 video.
The fleet-footed tree climber, which weighs only a few pounds, carries out crucial functions, including managing rodent populations and dispersing seeds.
The marten has also been referred to as a “flagship” or “umbrella” species because it brings “benefits to many other species that require a healthy and diverse forest,” officials said.
The game commission authorized an assessment of the feasibility of reintroducing the animal in 2022, which included a statewide survey. It found 92% of respondents supported the repopulation effort, and the assessment concluded that “American marten reintroduction to Pennsylvania is likely to succeed.”
The commission’s board is scheduled to meet on Jan. 27 and 28 and may have updates regarding the repopulation effort.
A spokesperson for the game commission did not immediately respond to a McClatchy News request for comment on Jan. 27.
Many formerly extirpated species have been successfully reintroduced in Pennsylvania over the past several decades, including river otters, bald eagles and white-tailed deer, officials said.
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