© 2024 Aspen Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Volunteers Needed For Pika Surveys

Courtesy of Mike Molloy

Scientists think the pika, a tiny alpine mammal, may provide clues to what climate change will mean in the Rocky Mountains.

 

Pikas, which are related to rabbits, are particularly sensitive to changes in temperature and snowpack. Researchers with the Front Range Pika Project began collecting data on pikas in the White River National Forest last year. They’re relying on citizen science volunteers to help conduct surveys in several locations across the forest, including Independence Pass. 

Volunteers are needed to hike to key locations, look for evidence of pikas and record information about habitat. Anyone interested will need to attend one classroom training and one field training.

 
There is a classroom training at the Third Street Center in Carbondale on July 31, from 6-8 p.m., and one at the Red Brick Center for the Arts in Aspen on Aug. 1, from 6-8 p.m. There is also an option for a webinar.
 
The field training on Independence Pass is on Aug. 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Aspen native Elizabeth Stewart-Severy is excited to be making a return to both the Red Brick, where she attended kindergarten, and the field of journalism. She has spent her entire life playing in the mountains and rivers around Aspen, and is thrilled to be reporting about all things environmental in this special place. She attended the University of Colorado with a Boettcher Scholarship, and graduated as the top student from the School of Journalism in 2006. Her lifelong love of hockey lead to a stint working for the Colorado Avalanche, and she still plays in local leagues and coaches the Aspen Junior Hockey U-19 girls.
Related Content