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​Hey friend! We're definitely friends now, right? I'm so excited
to tell you about pikas today, and the Citizen Scientists who
help park biologists (like my human, Mark!) study them.

What is a Citizen Scientist, you might ask? They're volunteers
who collect field data that scientists need to carry out their
studies. Any (human) can sign up to be a Citizen Scientist!

After a day of training, volunteers commit to looking for and
counting specific animals and recording the details. Currently,
Citizen Scientists are assisting with mountain goat, common loon,
and pika research.

Pikas are the tiny celebrities of wildlife watching in Glacier.
Although some dogs might mistake them for a squirrel, pikas are
actually small herbivores, related to rabbits, that live on
talus-covered slopes in the alpine regions of the park.

Did you know that rather than hibernating, they collect
vegetation all summer long to eat through the long winter
months??

Since pikas are small and move fast, Citizen Scientists listen
for a high pitched EEP! that will ring out over the talus field,
and and then begin scanning the surrounding rocks for any sign of
the pika that emitted the call.

If there is no sighting, volunteers then begin searching under
rocks and in crevices for haypiles and scat, both signs of pika
habitation and then record their findings to report back. This
work, so valuable to park biologists, is made possible through
generous donations to the Glacier Conservancy. Learn more about
these projects and how you can help!
CITIZEN SCience projects ( [link removed] )

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