Watch out for wolverines when backcountry touring

A conservation group is reminding you to be wildlife wise as winter turns to spring in the mountains.

Female wolverines can be found in the Columbia Mountains. They often den in the same slopes that are good for skiing, digging holes many feet deep and living in these dens from February through May.

If you see a wolverine or their tracks, usually solitary and taking some crazy line straight up the mountain, please let researchers know at wolverinewatch.org.

It is especially important to report observations and share photos if you see a concentration of tracks going to and from a hole in the snow, near tree-line, about a ruler-length wide, as it would be a wolverine den or food cache.

However, if you see this, leave the area, wolverines are very sensitive and may abandon their den and kits if disturbed.