Pika Monitoring

American Pika

NPS / Ann Schonlau

Importance and Issues

• American pikas (Ochotona princeps) depend on mountain ecosystems and are extremely temperature-sensitive. Due to a high body temperature and low upper lethal temperature, pikas have difficulty thermoregulating and rely on crevices and cavities in rocks for cover and shade. They cannot tolerate high temperatures for more than a few hours. Pikas are considered early warning signs for warming in western North America.
• Localized extirpations of the American pika have been documented in isolated areas of their range, and some scientists believe that these extirpations may be due to increasing temperatures.
• Climate change is predicted to result in high summer temperatures and reduced snowpack in many areas, both of which are expected to negatively affect pikas and their habitat.
• Crater Lake and Lassen Volcanic national parks have typical pika habitat of high elevation talus fields. Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve and Lava Beds National Monument consist of lower elevation lava flows, but they also provide pikas with a unique habitat type.
• Long-term monitoring is essential for our understanding of pikas, and for their long-term viability in our parks.

Monitoring Objectives

• Determine the status of pika site occupancy at selected Pacific West Region parks.
• Determine the trend in pika site occupancy at selected Pacific West Region parks.

Parks Where Pikas Are Monitored

Upper Columbia Basin Network Parks:

• Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

Other Parks Monitoring Pikas:

• Crater Lake National Park
• Lassen Volcanic National Park
• Lava Beds National Monument

Partners

• Oregon State University Cascade Campus HERS Lab

Pika Monitoring Videos

• 

  Pikas Living on the Edge: Monitoring a Species Facing a Changing Climate

  Monitoring the American pika, a climate-sensitive species

  Duration:

  5 minutes, 9 seconds

• 

  Pika Monitoring at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho

  Monitoring the American Pika at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. Long-term monitoring is important to understand the pika's sensitivity to climate change, and to detect changes in pika populations over time.

  Duration:

  4 minutes, 44 seconds

Pika Monitoring Protocols & Procedures

Source: Data Store Saved Search 723. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.

Pika Monitoring Reports

Source: Data Store Saved Search 719. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.

Resource Briefs
Summaries of fieldwork and findings

Source: Data Store Saved Search 719. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.