American Martens: re-introduction monitoring and health status

American martens went extinct in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan during the early-20th century due to the loss of mature conifer forest and unregulated trapping. Reintroduction efforts during the mid-1980s resulted in limited success, and two small populations were established in the Manastee National Forest.  Since then, limited effort has been placed on monitoring these populations.  Minnesota Zoo associate veterinarian Dr. Rachel Thompson championed Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grants in 2012 and 2013 to collaborate with Dr. Maria Spriggs (veterinarian at Mesker Park Zoo) and wildlife biologists from the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and Grand Valley State University to conduct mark-recapture population censuses and health status and serological studies in the Manastee National Forest.