Olympic National Park invites people who like to hike and camp to become “citizen scientists” and help monitor the status of the Olympic marmot, Washington’s state endemic mammal, in the park and adjacent Olympic National Forest.

 

Volunteers visit designated areas in small groups to gather information about population and distribution.

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, though some day-hike assignments are available.

Volunteers 13-17 must be accompanied by an adult.

 

An overview of the program, including past results, available survey trips and an application, is available at the park’s website, www.nps.gov/olym/naturescience/olympic-marmot-monitoring.htm. A short video about the project and the one-day training is at http://nwparkscience.org/node/1044.