started with funding from the Washington State Legislature. Construction activities
were not active during the snow tracking season.
A complete description of the project's goals and methods, as well as a record of
previous season reports, is available online at www.conservationnw.org/monitoring.
Amendments made to standard protocols for the program for this season are described
in greater detail below.
SUMMARY OF WINTER FIELDWORK
The winter season ran from November 2012 through April 2013 and included wildlife
snow tracking surveys conducted just east of Snoqualmie Pass along I‐90 in critical
connectivity areas and wildlife remote camera stations set in important wildlife
habitats in the Cascades and in northeast Washington.
Interstate 90 snow tracking transects
Snow tracking surveys were performed on nine transects from Hyak to Easton. This
winter's fieldwork included fairly typical conditions and results as compared to other
years. All transects were walked by project teams at least three times each over the
course of the winter. Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), a species previously undetected
on transects, was found on two transects this winter. Though not a surprise (porcupines
were expected to be in the study area based on habitat and sign found previously
adjacent to actual transects), this is the first year porcupines have been detected on the
project's snow tracking transects.
Observer reliability
To analyze observer reliability, two experts (David Moskowitz and Marcus Reynerson)
reviewed track photographs taken in the field by team leaders. The first recorded field
observation on each leg of a transect was photographed and documented by the team
leader and submitted to the project manager via email. The field protocol was
amended to add written field observations to the photos submitted by team leaders in
6
CWMP 2012-2013 Winter Field Season Report
