Deadline: May 1, 2012
Small groups of volunteer monitors will visit designated survey areas to gather timely and vital information about Olympic marmot population abundance and distribution. The Olympic marmot is the official endemic mammal of the state of Washington and nearly all available marmot habitats (approximately 90 percent) are protected within park boundaries, with the remaining ten percent on nearby Olympic National Forest lands. Tracking and monitoring the marmot population will allow wildlife managers to evaluate the population’s status on an ongoing basis. Volunteers must be capable of hiking to and camping in remote areas, be comfortable navigating off-trail and be able to work on steep slopes. Most survey trips involve a 5-20 mile hike (one or two days) with a significant elevation gain to the survey area.