Field Trip - Wildlife Tracking

Wildlife Tracking

This field trip was to the Snoqualmie Pass snowshoe trail. It took place on February 23rd from 8:00 am to appx 4:30 pm. 

I thought the location and activity of the field trip sounded interesting, and it was very relevant to the class as it was all about animal tracking.

The animal that made the track pictured was a Snowshoe Hare. Many students thought it was a rabbit track, but we were informed that although colloquially the two are often used interchangeably, they are in fact different. Rabbits live in much of the area surrounding the Cascades, but only hares are found in the Pass.

We used locomotion patterns as well as general morphology to identify the track as made by a Snowshoe Hare. Given the spacing of the individual tracks combined with the size and very elongated, side-by-side footprints, we were able to rule out most animals that live in the Pass. It implied a relatively small, light animal that moves by jumping forward. It was too large and the movement not right to be a squirrel, and most other animals active at this time of the year are much larger. As a result, we were able to identify the Snowshoe Hare.

We saw tracks from Snowshoe Hares, Douglas Squirrels, Coyotes, and a tree marking created by a bear of some sort. We found the tracks primarily in tree wells, which could be due either to the fact that snow doesn’t accumulate as quickly under trees (and so tracks would stay clearer for longer), that animals prefer to stay closer to trees while moving about, or a combination of the two.

The the squirrel tracks tended to appear near only one tree, and would disappear before getting too far away. I would guess this is because squirrels often travel by jumping from tree to tree; this would also make sense in the context that this would be the safest way for a squirrel to travel, since most animals it would encounter on the ground would be predators this time of year. The hare tracks were the most common, making up the vast majority of wild tracks we saw (we also saw many domestic dog tracks, which were by far the most prevalent of all animal tracks), The most interesting set of tracks were, in my opinion, the coyote tracks. What made them most interesting was that we followed them for quite a ways off the trail, and it took us awhile to determine what animal made them.

When coyotes walk, they exhibit a direct register pattern of walking; that is, the footprint of their hind foot falls directly into the footprint of the front foot, lending their tracks the illusion of bipedal locomotion. Bobcats also exhibit a similar walking pattern, and as such we were unsure at first of the species. However, direct register combined with the length of stride, the oblong print shape, and the rarity of bobcats in that area led us to conclude that it was indeed a coyote that created the tracks.

The foot size and locomotion of the hare suggests that it is built to run away. Strong hind legs that propel the organism by a sharp burst of forward speed would be well adapted for quickly changing from sitting to fleeing. This would be very useful for a prey animal, which would need to escape predators very quickly.

A direct tie between our class and this trip was the importance of conserving energy while moving. Domestic dog tracks were spontaneous and erratic, while wild tracks were much more directed and regular. This is because in the winter especially, conserving energy is key to survival. An animal that has regular movements and chooses the quickest route from points A to B is the animal that will use less energy that could be used for warmth and hunting.

Animal tracking is a very effective method for gathering data on animal movement. It is particularly useful when gauging the impact of human-wildlife interactions on the animals, like the I-90 Wildlife Corridors. Wildlife tracking can be used in cases like these to quantify the success of structures such as these. The purpose of the Corridors is to allow for the migration of wildlife across the I-90 freeway. Crossing I-90 has historically been extremely dangerous for wildlife, resulting in the death of many crossing animals and effectively creating a barrier through the Pass. The Corridors are underpasses and overpasses that will hopefully lessen the impact of the freeway on migration when construction is complete. However, many companies balk at the cost of building multi-million dollar structures that have very little direct benefit to humans. In quantifying the positive impact of wildlife-focused construction, wildlife tracking justifies the cost to local governments and companies. Alternatively, if a solution isn’t working, wildlife tracking can provide that data as well. Ultimately, wildlife tracking lets us know what local wildlife is doing, and that is very valuable information.

The I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition is an organization created by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). Its purpose is to conserve the North-South wildlife migration route that has been intersected by the I-90 freeway, while conserving the I-90 commerce and transport "lifeline" between Eastern and Western Washington. The organization plans to do this by creating underpasses and overpasses to the freeway that will have the sole purpose of allowing wildlife to cross I-90 without any danger.

The one thing about tracking that really connects it to society is its ties to human evolution. For thousands and thousands of years, animal tracking has been a vital part of survival in our lives. Given its strong ties to human history as well as the potential it has to create a positive impact on the environment in the present day, I consider it a much more valuable skill than I did before going on this field trip.

The most interesting thing about this trip to me was finding out just how much information you can learn just by looking at an animal’s tracks. You can find out where it’s been, what it’s eaten, where it lives, as well as predict based on these things where it will be going in the future.