Last week, the 2018 CFI field staff completed our backcountry training on Mount Elbert. It was a week of great weather and lots of rock work! While we were out there, we had a brief lesson on the Front Range Pika Project, which is managed by Rocky Mountain Wild and the Denver Zoo, with the assistance of additional researchers.
American Pikas are small mammals in the rabbit family who usually live in talus and boulder fields. They are specifically adapted to survive the harsh winters of high elevations. I’m sure most Fourteener hikers have seen them or heard their characteristic “squeaky toy” call! The Front Range Pika Project intends to collect data on the pika populations and determine if changes in climate are affecting their existence. The adaptations that allow pika to survive the harsh winters make them particularly sensitive to warm temperatures and changes in snowpack, and there is concern that they may not be able to survive a warming climate.
The project uses citizen scientists to collect pika data, and the CFI field staff is going to contribute to their research this season. We hope to do our part toward learning more about this species that is specially adapted to survive the high elevations where we work. For more information on the Front Range Pika Project, visit www.pikapartners.org. Check out the education YouTube series that CFI created about pika for additional footage of these adorable little fuzzballs!
