II.
Project Overview
Conservation Northwest originated the Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project (CWMP) over a decade ago as
a way to help wildlife agencies document and monitor the presence of rare carnivores by deploying
remote cameras in potential core habitat. Since then, we have expanded and structured the project to
include an overall Advisory Council and establish project partners. Our Advisory Council1 is made up of
project partner representatives, government agency biologists, and professional researchers. This
council provides input and review of our protocols, techniques, site locations, and structure.
In the Cascades, we operate in collaboration with project partners on our year-round monitoring. In
2006, we formalized the Cascades Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project in partnership with the I-90
Wildlife Bridges Coalition and Wilderness Awareness School. Through this collaboration, each
organization has an area of the program where they take a leadership role: Wilderness Awareness
School leads in snowtracking training and implementation, I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition leads in
remote camera work along the I-90 corridor, and Conservation Northwest leads in all remote camera
work outside of the I-90 corridor.
These collaborations with our project advisors and partners are important to inform our work, ensure
coordination rather than duplication in monitoring efforts, and broaden the distribution of monitoring
results. Working together helps fulfill our mission to protect and connect wildlife and habitat from the
Washington Coast to the BC Rockies.
The Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project has four main program objectives:
1. To engage and educate citizens on wildlife monitoring in the critical habitat areas;
2. To record wildlife presence along Interstate 90 in strategic locations and in core
habitat through remote cameras and snow tracking;
3. To record the presence of rare and sensitive species that regional and and national conservation
efforts aim to recover including fisher, gray wolf, grizzly bear, lynx, and wolverine.
4. To facilitate exchange of information on wildlife, including data from
monitoring efforts, between public agencies, organizations, and interested individuals.
The project operates on an annual cycle with our Spring-Fall season heavily focused on the utilization of
remote cameras running April-November, and our Winter season combining snow tracking and remote
cameras running December-March. Reports are prepared at the end of each season with all past
reports available at http://www.conservationnw.org/what-we-do/northcascades/cascades-citizenwildlife-monitoring
In 2012, twenty-four remote camera sites with thirty-six cameras were deployed throughout
Washington.
1
Members of our 2012 Advisory Council and site specific advisors are listed in the Acknowledgements section of
this report.
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