Conservation Northwest

CWMP Winter 2013-2014 Monitoring Report Final

Conservation Northwest protects and connects old-growth forests and other wild areas from the Washington Coast to the British Columbia Rockies, vital to a healthy future for us, our children, and wildlife. Since 1989, Conservation Northwest has worke

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5 CWMP 2013-2014 Winter Field Season Report conditions. The project significantly updated its field data collection methods, switching from handheld computers running on a windows platform using Cybertracker Software (cybertracker.org) to an online form constructed through Google Drive and accessed by volunteers using smart phones in the field. The new transect, SnoPass, was introduced for several reasons. The Silver Fir/Hyak transect was originally designed to act as an off-highway control as well as to monitor wildlife activity in a patch of forest which the adjacent ski area planned to develop. The SnoPass transect runs just outside the construction zone along I-90. With the addition of this transect, the project is now monitoring a transect influenced by the highway as well as a section of road that will receive no modifications. The north leg of this transect is characterized by late successional forest (older forest maturing toward old-growth conditions) and includes a trailhead which receives moderate use by backcountry skiers and snowshoers during the winter. The south leg of the transect runs through a small patch of forest completely surrounded by development bounded by the highway on- ramp on one side and a large open lot on the other. Observer reliability To analyze observer reliability, three experts (Brian McConnell, David Moskowitz, and Marcus Reynerson: each a certified Track and Sign Specialist through Cybertracker Conservation, www.trackercertification.com) 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 order to help reviewers analyze the sample tracks submitted. This supplemental information reduced the number of tracks deemed "unidentifiable" by reviewers. Reviewers documented a single verified error in the data sample from this year, the first error found in three years of testing observer reliability on the project. Remote cameras During the 2013-2014 winter monitoring season, twelve camera sites were installed and maintained. All twelve sites were within the Cascade Mountains in Washington. Of these sites, four were a continuation of locations monitored throughout the 2013 spring-fall camera monitoring season. Within the Cascades, we have further broken the study area into three distinct regions: 1. Central Cascades: Between I-90 and US 2 2. I-90 Corridor: Between Hyak and Easton along I-90

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