Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project 2015 Updates

Winter updates, spring-fall season information and training details for our 2015 Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project. 

Confirming the presence of rare carnivores and other native animals informs land management decisions wildlife depend on. It also helps guide our conservation programs and priorities, and those of state and federal agencies. 

Want to learn more about our wildlife monitoring project? Check out this new video! 

By Alison Huyett, Conservation Associate and CWMP program manager

Winter Monitoring Season Update

As many of you have noticed, snow has been scarce this season. As a result, for the first time in the project’s history, we had to close down our I-90 snow tracking portion of the Cascades Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project.

However, we were able to spend about a month running transects near Snoqualmie Pass before closing down for the season. Over the month, teams documented wildlife sign including coyote, beaver, river otter, pine marten, bobcat, and many other species! Similar to years past, we will be producing a winter report that summarizes the data from the season and its impact to the project. Stay tuned for that report.

Volunteer for our 2015 Remote Camera Season

Join Conservation Northwest, the Wilderness Awareness School, and the I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition for the 2015 field season monitoring wildlife in the Cascades! 

Please contact project manager Alison Huyett (alison@conservationnw.org) to sign up.

Spring is here and it’s time to prepare for our next season of remote camera field work in Washington. A free training on Sunday May 3rd in Cle Elum, WA for volunteers working for the project this year provides new and experienced volunteers with the tools they will need to carry out remote camera monitoring with the Cascades Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project.

• All volunteers will receive an introduction to remote camera monitoring taught by Alison Huyett, Dave Moskowitz and seasoned project volunteers with a focus on site installation and maintenance, target species for the project, and training in survey field methods.
• Returning volunteers* will review survey methods, equipment, logistics and safety, enhance the skills of participants in monitoring of target species, and enroll volunteers in teams.

We will have 20-25 camera sites this year focusing on documenting wolves in the South Cascades, wolverines in the Central and South Cascades, documenting the presence of various species along the I-90 corridor, and searching for elusive grizzly bears in the North Cascades.

Volunteers are asked to commit to one day of field work per month from early June to October. Specific dates vary and are flexible depending on the team and site you sign up for at the training.

*Returning volunteers: If you have volunteered for the project and attended a remote camera training for the project in the last two years (2013 or 2014 trainings), you may be exempt from the training, please contact Alison to determine if you are eligible.

Volunteer Training Dates in Cle Elum, WA:

New and Returning Volunteer Training: Sunday, May 3rd @ 9:00 a.m. in Cle Elum, Washington at the Cle Elum Ranger Station Tom Craven Conference Room 

SPACE IS LIMITED to 45 spots, to sign up please email Alison Huyett (alison@conservationnw.org) and indicate if you are a new or returning volunteer.

Volunteers will need to bring a lunch, notebook, writing utensil, weather appropriate clothing, species field guides (optional), digital camera (optional), GPS unit (optional).

South Cascades elk calves. Photo: CWMP summer 2014