Kathryn Purcell
A scientist who studies wildlife, including what they eat, how they
reproduce, and how they use their habitat.
Pacific Southwest Research Station
My best day in the field ever was when I climbed to a fisher den and extracted two kits to be measured and marked for future identification. My arm just barely fit in the tree cavity and they tried to evade me, but I was able to pull them out one at a time and send them down to the crew on the ground. One was a female and the other was a male. They were at the stage where their eyes were just beginning to open. One had only the left eye open and the other had the right eye open, so it looked like they were winking at each other. When they were ready to be put back in the den cavity, they were no longer so shy and didn’t want to let go of my hand. My arm got pretty scraped up, but it was worth it.
Featured from Natural Inquirer
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The scientists in this study were interested in figuring out which landscape characteristics were more abundant in the core areas of fisher habitat. They hypothesized that the core area would...Fish-ing Around – Discovering the Habitat Needs of the Pacific Fisher
The scientists in this study were interested in figuring out which landscape characteristics were more abundant in the core areas of fisher habitat. They hypothesized that the core area would...
Additional Resources
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USDA Forest Service: Kathryn Purcell
Learn more about Kathryn Purcell's research at her Forest Service profile page.Visit Profile
