Help us Restore Rare Carnivores to the Cascades

Conservation biologists recognize that the recovery of predator species such as wolves, bears, and wolverines is integral to restoring ecosystem health and providing top down regulation of ecosystems. Restoring carnivores and carnivore habitat to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest is particularly important because of the GPNF’s central role in linking the wildlands of the north and south Cascades and because of the importance of carnivores in balancing local ecosystems.

: Meadows can provide prime habitat for many recovering predator species.

In Restoring Volcano Country, a plan for the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the Gifford Pinchot Task Force laid out strategic restoration actions for the region including forest thinning, road removal, and above all bringing back a healthy predator population to Washington forests. Understanding what types of predators are present, or not present, on the forest, and where these predators are located, is a necessary component to increasing habitat protection and making strategic decisions about forest thinning and road removal that will help bring back a healthy forest ecosystem. With this in mind, this winter we are launching our carnivore tracking program on the GPNF. Through the program, volunteers will adopt areas of the GPNF and survey them 4-6 times a year. Volunteers will be trained by experts, and the information generated will fill in key data gaps and enable for more rapid and effective implementation of priority restoration activities. Tracking volunteers will provide valuable information about what predator species are present on the national forest which is an important step toward ecosystem restoration on the GPNF.

If you are interested in volunteering for this program please contact Jessica at (503) 221-2102 Ext. 101 or e-mail jessica@gptaskforce.org.