Projects

Humans have historically altered ecosystem structure through landscape manipulation, leaving “remnants,” or refuge patches of suitable habitat amidst inhospitable terrain. Large carnivores tend to be especially vulnerable to such habitat alterations because they often occur at low densities, have slow reproductive rates, and wide-ranging behavior necessitated by high food requirements. Multiple wildlife studies, however, have demonstrated large carnivore presence is… Read Project SummaryLarge predator competition in an urbanizing world: Cougar and black bear interactions along the wildland-urban gradient of western Washington

Globally, islands are special places of concern for biological diversity because they are species-rich yet also highly vulnerable. Islands make up 5% of the land area of earth but house 20% of all bird, rodent and flowering plant species and 37% of critically endangered species; they have also hosted 61% of all recorded species extinctions. In the Salish Sea, islands… Read Project SummaryDiscovering Island Biodiversity in the Salish Sea

This project is a continuation of a 2015-2016 CREOi award, supporting restoration of the Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida), which has played an important ecological and cultural role as Washington’s only native oyster. Since 2012, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (SITC) has been collaborating with regional partners on a long-term restoration project to reestablish, expand, and research Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida, populations on Reservation… Read Project SummaryRestoring an endemic species to native tidelands: Olympia oysters in Swinomish pocket estuaries

This project is a continuation of a 2016-2017 CREOi award to assess presence and density of Canada lynx in the Kettle River Mountain Range, an important east-west bridge for meta-populations of lynx and other wide-ranging species that occupy both the Cascades and Rocky Mountains. Based on camera trap surveys of the entire study area in 2016 and 2017, researchers intend to target… Read Project SummaryAssessing the status of Canada lynx in the Kettle River Mountain Range

Olympic mudminnow (Novumbra hubbsi) are Washington State’s only endemic fish species, and yet are subject to challenges plaguing many noncommercial freshwater species; namely, the lack of consistent research and monitoring, leading to knowledge gaps that limit conservation actions. With a small range and low dispersal ability, Olympic mudminnow were listed as a State Sensitive species by Washington Department of Fish… Read Project SummaryIdentifying conservation challenges and opportunities for the endemic Olympic mudminnow

For three years, SeaDoc has been working with REEF Environmental Education Foundation to use trained recreational SCUBA divers to monitor the undersea life of the San Juan Islands. Annually, ten invited divers stay at Friday Harbor Laboratories for a week and conduct 10 sub-tidal surveys each (2/day) over the course of 5 days. Divers use a scientifically approved technique called… Read Project SummaryTracking sea star wasting disease using trained recreational divers

This project was a continuation of a 2015 CREOi award investigating the impacts of reintroduced beavers on ecosystem resilience. Beavers are both ecosystem engineers and keystone species. As ecosystem engineers, they modify their environment through dam building to create wetland systems that reduce their predation risk and increase growth of preferred food types. Their role as keystone species results from their ability to transform a… Read Project SummaryThe Skykomish Beaver Project: Building educational opportunities for aspiring ecologists

Since mid-2015, Western Wildlife Outreach (WWO) has been working to create, launch, implement and coordinate a new program, Bear Smart King County, in order to reduce the number of conflicts between humans and black bears in the eastside communities of King County. These encounters can result in property damage and injury or death to humans, pets and domestic animals, representing… Read Project SummaryBear Smart King County

Of the 23 species of large brown algae native to Puget Sound, bull kelp is the largest (Nereocystis luetkeana). Reaching a canopy height of 60’ or more, this species provides an array of ecosystem services and holds great cultural and economic value to communities around the region. Aerial and dive surveys have been conducted by state natural resources agencies since 1989, yet a… Read Project SummaryCitizen Science Kelp Project: Mapping and monitoring the spatial distribution of local bull kelp populations