15 CWMP 2013-2014 Winter Field Season Report
seasons ago (See Table 6). Excluding samples that could not be verified or refuted
definitively out of the field, team leaders' correctly identified tracks correctly 92.9% of
the time for the season and 98.4% since the project has been reviewing this.
Table 6: Observer Reliability Summary
2013-14 winter 2010-2014 totals
Number of Observers Tested 8 16
Total Samples Submitted 18 86
Correct 13 60
Incorrect 1 1
Definitive Identification
Impossible from Photograph
4 25
Percentage correct (omitting
data which could not be verified)
92.9% 98.4%
Species Positively Identified
American marten, Black
bear, Bobcat, Coyote, Elk,
Mule deer, Raccoon
American marten, Beaver,
Black bear, Bobcat, Coyote,
Elk, Mountain lion, Mule
deer, Raccoon, River otter
The overall experience and training level of this year's team leaders was similar to past
seasons. Many team leaders hold professional certifications in wildlife track and sign
identification. All but one team leader came to the winter monitoring season with
significant amounts of training in wildlife tracking outside of the project training,
primarily through the Wilderness Awareness School.
Volunteer effort
Even with fewer transect volunteers this year, the number of volunteer hours rose for
2013-2014 because of two factors 1) addition of another transect site and 2) the tracking
of hours that volunteer team leaders spend training new and returning transect
volunteers. This year, too, volunteers spent fewer hours on administration thanks to
increased efficiency: tasks have become more routine; meetings are now done as
conference calls or email meetings; and returning volunteers have strengthened the
expertise of the project.
