The American pika population is declining, and Walking Mountains needs help researching
Jonathan Kenter | Special to the Daily
The Front Range Pika Project, the U.S. Forest Service and Walking Mountains Science Center are seeking volunteers to do American pika surveys on the White River National Forest this summer. Volunteer hikers will collect data to help scientists understand the potential impacts of climate change on the American pika and their Alpine habitat. Pikas, cute relatives of rabbits and hares, have recently started disappearing from parts of the Western U.S., and the decline in population has been linked to climate change.
“Colorado’s climate is changing, and pikas are sensitive to changes in temperature, snowpack and vegetation,” said Megan Mueller, conservation biologist with Rocky Mountain Wild. “A recent National Parks Service study predicts that pikas may disappear from Rocky Mountain National Park by 2100, under some climate change scenarios.”
For more information about the Front Range Pika Project and to sign up to volunteer, visit http://www.pikapartners.org or contact frpp@rockymountainwild.org.
