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4. To facilitate the exchange of information about wildlife, including data from monitoring
efforts, between public agencies, organizations, and interested individuals.
CCWMP is designed to support the conservation of our region's wildlife and wildlands by
enhancing our knowledge of wildlife-habitat connections in our region, supporting the
monitoring and management efforts of transportation and wildlife agencies, and providing
engaging educational field experiences for volunteers.
The winter portion of CCWMP is focused on snow-tracking along a 15-mile corridor on I-90 and
providing data for the I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East Project. The I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East Project
is a 15-mile highway improvement project that includes measures for connecting wildlife
habitat, such as the construction of wildlife crossings. Construction on the first phase of the I-90
Snoqualmie Pass East Project has started with funding from the Washington State Legislature.
Construction activities were not active during the snow-tracking season.
A complete description of the Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project's goals and methods, as well as
a record of previous season reports, is available online at www.conservationnw.org/monitoring.
METHODOLOGY
Study Area
Snoqualmie Pass (3022 feet, 921 meters) is the lowest pass in the Washington Cascades.
Interstate 90 traverses the pass from west to east as a divided highway with two to four lanes of
traffic in each direction throughout the study area. A large downhill ski complex sits at the
summit of the pass, along with associated human infrastructure. A few miles east of the pass, a
large irrigation water reservoir on the headwaters of the Yakima River fills much of the valley
bottom. The human footprint at the pass along with the high speed and heavily trafficked
interstate highway makes Snoqualmie Pass the most tenuous wildlife corridor in the Washington
Cascades. Ongoing reconstruction by the Washington Department of Transportation on
Interstate 90 east of Snoqualmie Pass has been designed to improve road safety for motorists
and increase the permeability of the road for wildlife.
Field Methods
CCWMP employs trained volunteers to walk transects adjacent to the interstate and track
wildlife. Set transects are monitored three times over the course of the winter on average and
are established at locations where crossing structures either exist and are being improved or
have been targeted for installation. Transects run parallel to the highway about 150 meters
from the roadbed. Field teams document tracks and signs of any mammal species larger than a
snowshoe hare found along the route. At least one set of tracks is trailed on each transect per
visit in an attempt to document the animal's relationship to the interstate. Observations are
photo-documented in the field and all photos are reviewed by expert observers out of the field
to assess observer reliability. All species of high conservation value are thoroughly documented,
including photo-documentation, to ensure the accuracy of identification.
