OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Olympic National Park is now accepting volunteer applications for the Olympic Marmot Monitoring Program 2017 survey season.
The 2017 application deadline is Thursday, June 1, but may close earlier if enough eligible volunteers have been accepted, or last longer if some trips remain unfilled.
Launched in 2010, the Olympic Marmot Monitoring Program employs teams of volunteers to visit designated survey areas within the park and gather information about the Olympic marmot’s population presence and distribution.
The Olympic marmot (Marmota olympus) is an iconic species of the Olympic Peninsula. They are the official endemic mammal of the state of Washington, found only in the alpine meadows within the park and surrounding national forest and nowhere else in the world.
Tracking Olympic marmot populations and monitoring annual changes allow wildlife managers to evaluate the population’s status on an ongoing basis. Through cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, monitoring efforts extend over the species’ entire range.
More than 90 volunteers participate in the project each year. They hail from the Olympic Peninsula, Seattle/Tacoma area and as far away as Portland, Ore., and British Columbia.
“Over the last years, the outstanding work and dedication of our marmot monitoring volunteers has provided important information for continued protection of the Olympic marmot,” said Lee Taylor, Olympic National Park acting superintendent.
“Citizen Science programs provide valuable data and unique opportunities for volunteers to take part in research that influences the management of their park.”
Volunteers must be capable of hiking to and camping in remote areas, navigating off-trail and working on steep slopes. Survey trips are one to eight days in length. Most survey areas are located between 5 to 20 miles from a trailhead or road and involve a one- or two-day hike with significant elevation gain to reach. Survey groups camp out in or near the survey areas and search for marmots for two to four days.
A limited number of day hike assignments are available for the Hurricane Hill, Klahhane Ridge and Obstruction Point survey areas.
Volunteers work in groups of two to six people. To ensure safety, each volunteer must travel and monitor with a partner. Volunteers ages 13-17 must be accompanied by responsible adults.
All volunteers are required to participate in one-day training that includes both classroom and field instruction. Volunteers are responsible for their own transportation.
Camping fees will be waived at Heart o’ the Hills and other front-country sites for the evening before training. Park entrance and backcountry fees also will be waived for volunteers.
The Marmot Monitoring Program is made possible by donations through Washington’s National Park Fund. To learn more about Washington’s National Park Fund or to contribute, visit wnpf.org.
More information about the program is available at the park’s website, http://tinyurl.com/pdn-park marmots. A short video about the project and the marmot monitor training can be found at nwparkscience.org/node/1044.
