Wolverine expert speaks at CICC event

Fine dining, friends and wolverines were the themes at the Elks Lodge in Thompson Falls on June 12. The Cube Iron-Cataract Coalition (CICC) hosted a banquet with a catered meal from the Dog Hill Bistro. Admission was $10, which included a plate of chicken, potato salad and baked beans. There was also an extensive display of silent auction items and a 50/50 raffle. 

The CICC is a local group of people with the mission of "working to build awareness and support for the existing backcountry of the Cube Iron Cataract area." The CICC supports various uses of public lands and they have a profound appreciation of the special backcountry area and the value it holds for wildlife recreation.

Backcountry areas provide great opportunities for the community to enjoy such as hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, trapping, photography, berry picking, youth outings and other family adventures. The CICC exercises good stewardship of the backcountry and promotes projects to maintain trails in the area.  

The Cube Iron-Cataract area is located north of the Clark Fork River in Thompson Falls and stretches all the way to the Vermilion River near Trout Creek. This area is mainly undeveloped and includes the Cataract Deep Creek, Cube Iron and Sundance Ridge, which are all roadless areas. 

Featured at the CICC banquet was Kalon Baughan, a wildlife photographer and artist. Baughan has had a fascination with wildlife since his childhood, he told the audience. He began experimenting with trail cameras at a young age, which gave him the perfect opportunity to capture animals in their natural habitats.

Growing up in Michigan, Baughan developed a great interest and admiration for wolverines (Michigan's state animal was once the wolverine). In 2010, that interest turned into reality when he volunteered to work with several regional organizations collecting data on lynx and wolverines as part of the rare carnivore monitoring efforts. Through federal, state and non-profit partnerships, the data collected from these studies will be used to help species management and knowledge in Montana and the surrounding areas. 

Wolverines are the largest member of the weasel family in the Rocky Mountains, according to Baughan. They can grow anywhere from 15 to 45 pounds. They have low population densities and cover large territories. He noted that one study suggested that a male wolverine controlled a range of 160 square miles. With their long legs, thick coat, and large paws that act as snowshoes, the wolverine can travel long distances through snow easily.

Throughout his work, Baughan has taken more than 100,000 photos of wolverines but never actually encountered one on his treks. Of all those photos, there were only 7 different wolverines. Baughan found distinguishing different wolverines difficult in the beginning of his research but with persistence, he began to notice that each animal had distinct markings.

"The fur around their necks is different for each wolverine. It's almost like our fingerprints," Baughan said.

Baughan's curiosity grew and he wanted to know as much as possible about each wolverine. He built a wooden structure where there was a suspended food reward to entice the wolverines to climb and get it. As they climb, different cameras from different angles take photos to see neck coloration, paws, and the underside to determine the gender. Baughan began to notice the small differences the wolverines had. For example, one wolverine had white fur on one toe of his back foot and another female appeared to have complications with her right eye.  

In the recent years, there have been more and more reports of wolverines being sighted in Montana and the surrounding states. There is still a lot to learn about this rare animal and Baughan is hoping to continue spreading awareness and knowledge about wolverines and contribute to the monitoring and research efforts. 

Another passion for Baughan is his art. His professional career as an artist began in 1988 when he graduated from Albion College in Michigan with honors, also earning the Outstanding Artist Award. Since then, Baughan has had several opportunities to mentor other artists throughout the country. He has displayed his work in numerous shows through the years and has been honored as a Featured Artist at the Pacific Rim Wildlife Art Show, Nature Works Oklahoma Wildlife Art Festival, Northern Wildlife Art Expo, and the Prestige Gallery Originals Showcase. 

His art has also been displayed at the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, Wendell Gilley Museum National Wildlife Art Showing, Vancouver International Wildlife Art Show, Michigan Wildlife Art Festival and the Grand National Art Invitational. Baughan has earned several Best of Show, Judges' Excellence, People's Choice and Peer Awards at these events.