Puget Sound is the nation’s second largest marine estuary, and covers just over 1,000 square miles. It supports significant wildlife including marine mammals, marine birds and important salmon populations. The Puget Sound Seabird Survey (PSSS) is a community science effort created by Seattle Audubon in 2007 and was recently transitioned to Puget Sound Bird Observatory (PSBO). The program engages over… Read Project SummaryPuget Sound Seabird Survey
Freshwater ecosystems rely heavily on microbial communities, particularly aquatic fungi (aquatic hyphomycetes), to decompose organic matter and sustain aquatic food webs. Despite their ecological importance, large-scale studies on how fungal communities respond to environmental variation are scarce. This project investigated how substrate identity, land use, river position, and environmental conditions shape aquatic fungal diversity across the Deschutes River watershed in… Read Project SummaryWatershed-scale drivers of aquatic fungal community assembly in the Deschutes River system, Washington
This is a continuation of a 2021 CREOi-funded project. Washington State Parks are increasingly becoming islands within a developed landscape. These islands have become important areas supporting human physical and mental well-being. However, there is concern that higher rates of use of state parks are putting greater pressure and stress on wildlife species for which the parks may provide some… Read Project SummaryUnderstanding wildlife activity and the impacts of recreation on wildlife in Washington State Parks
In 1993, wápupxn (Canada lynx, Lynx canadensis) were listed as a Washington State threatened species and by 2017 were up-listed to endangered status. In 2000, they were listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Numerous studies have pointed to evidence that the persistence of lynx in Washington State will depend on maintaining… Read Project SummaryRestoring wápupxn (Canada lynx) to their native lands in Northeast Washington: a translocation project
Washington state parks are increasingly becoming islands within a developed landscape. These islands have become important areas supporting human physical and mental well-being. However, there is concern that higher rates of use of state parks are putting greater pressure and stress on wildlife species for which the parks may provide some of the last remaining habitat. To effectively manage and… Read Project SummaryUnderstanding wildlife activity and the impacts of recreation on wildlife in Washington State Parks
The goal of this project was to gain information on the composition and breadth of cougar (Puma concolor) and wolf (Canis lupus) diets to increase our understanding of multi-carnivore dietary interactions in eastern Washington. The project is part of the Washington Predator-Prey Project (WPPP), a collaborative effort between the University of Washington, Seattle (UW) and the Washington Department of Fish and… Read Project SummaryAssessing large carnivore dietary interactions in Eastern Washington
This study was conducted on the land of the Makah people with approval by the Makah Tribal Council. The goal of this project was to evaluate the threat of invasive European green crab (Carcinus maenas; hereafter green crab) on subadult Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) in two riverine estuaries on the Makah Reservation. We had two primary study questions: 1) What… Read Project SummaryInvestigating interactions between Dungeness crabs and invasive European green crab in two estuaries on the Makah Reservation
Various non-profit, government, and academic entities study and monitor amphibian populations in the Pacific Northwest, however there are limited resources for data-sharing and coordination among these entities. Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center, in collaboration with Woodland Park Zoo, has been working to address these gaps. As a first step, Oxbow and Woodland Park Zoo staff distributed a questionnaire on monitoring… Read Project SummaryConnecting and expanding amphibian monitoring in Western Washington
WildCam Vashon is a program of Vashon Nature Center (VNC) that uses a variety of wildlife camera technologies to test and improve fish and wildlife surveys and to make them more accessible for community science efforts. With support from CREOi this year, VNC improved our wildlife camera network by creating a wildlife camera database that is easy to use for… Read Project SummaryWildCam Vashon
This is a continuation of a 2019 CREOi-funded project. Stillwaters Environmental Center was founded in 1999 by members of the North Kitsap community to steward the Carpenter Creek watershed and its 39-acre pocket estuary and salt marsh. Throughout the 2000s, Stillwaters worked with county, Tribal, and state agencies in support of the Carpenter Creek Estuary Restoration Project to replace two… Read Project SummaryRecovery of a tidal salt marsh on the Kitsap Peninsula
