CWMP 2016-2017 Winter Report
12
Denny Creek Pilot Transect
Last year CWMP engaged in a pilot survey of a location along the interstate west of
Snoqualmie Pass at Denny Creek. The pilot was undertaken in collaboration with the
Washington Department of Transportation Habitat Connectivity Biologist Kelly McAllister.
A transect was scouted and established on the north side of the highway. This year,
the transect was surveyed three times. Teams reported that the transect was successfully
piloted and should be integrated into the project. Reports from the field indicate that
clarifying the route, possibly moving it closer to the creek, would be beneficial. The next
step in fully establishing this transect is to locate access to a route for the south side half.
Citizen Science
This year we had an increased number of total volunteer transect days and volunteer hours
compared to low snow winters of the past few years. Volunteers faced challenges including
teams not being able to complete transects due to heavy snow, bad weather and traffic
delays on Snoqualmie Pass.
Volunteers spent fewer hours on administration and entering data sheets manually, thanks
to increased efficiency provided by use of a mobile phone app that is able to synchronize
our data from the field and be saved online. General tasks have become more efficient as
well, meetings are done as conference calls and returning volunteers have strengthened the
expertise of the project. Our long-term partnership with the Wilderness Awareness School
has provided consistently high quality wildlife trackers as our team leaders for the project,
helping to maintain the reliability of the data collected.
Table 3, Summary of Winter 2016-2017 Volunteer Participation
Number of Volunteer Team Leaders 11
Number of Volunteers Team Members 30
TOTAL PROJECT VOLUNTEERS 41
Number of Transect Field Days 18
Number of Transect Volunteer Days 88
Winter Training Team Leader Hours 120
Winter Training Team Member Hours
350
Project Leadership Volunteer Hours 50
Transect Volunteer Hours 450
TOTAL VOLUNTEER HOURS 970
Recommendations for Next Field Season
1. Denny Creek transect: Develop the second half of this transect on the north side of the
interstate for the coming field season.
