Cascadia Wild
$7,000

Funds are requested for coordination, supplies, sample processing, and equipment for the existing monitoring effort for rare carnivores. The Wolverine Tracking Project was launched in 2000 by Cascadia Wild and in 2003 the project entered a formal partnership with the Mt. Hood National Forest to take over their volunteer monitoring efforts for rare carnivores. Defenders of Wildlife became a financial and outreach partner since 2016. As a community science initiative, the project is designed to address two critical needs

1. conduct long-term monitoring of rare carnivores that supports and informs better wildlife conservation and management practices, and
2. connect Oregonians to the wildlife and wild places that make Oregon such a special place to live.

 Over the years, the project’s success has been significant. The project proponents have started new working relationships with two organizations that help disadvantaged youth develop job skills and collaborate with RISE (Refugee and Immigrant Student Empowerment) program to connect high school students with wilderness areas – for most of them, it is their first experience spending time in nature.

This project  provides critical information about habitat use and biological information of the target species to wildlife decision makers.

The project would hire a part-time outreach coordinator who will help with volunteer recruitment, monitoring and management. Special focus will be to spread the word among underserved communities and communities that have historically lacked the opportunity to interact and engage with wilderness and wildlife. Funds will also be used to purchase additional gear that will help expand the land area covered by the trail cameras. Additionally, some funds will be directed toward conducting research on gathered biological materials such as hair and scat to make species/sub-species assessments of target species (particularly Sierra Nevada Red Fox).

The Committee recommends funding this project for $7,000 with $2,000 less than requested to reduce the amount for coordination.

Project Report