Research

A Canada lynx detected on a trail camera in Ross Lake National Recreation Area

Wildlife Camera Research

The Wildlife Program is conducting carnivore research using motion-activated trail cameras temporarily placed in select areas around the park complex. Many are placed in the backcountry where visitors are not likely to visit, however there are cameras located along park trails. Cameras are the least invasive way to understand how rare species, such as lynx, wolverine, and wolf, utilize park resources.

Do not disturb cameras, as this may cause critical data loss. It is important to document human travel in context with wildlife travel. The park is only collecting information on human presence relative to group size. Photos of people will be discarded after data entry.

2021 Projects

Black Bears

Black bears and humans often use the same trails in the park complex. Bear safety is important to understand before visiting the North Cascades, so that both you and our bears can peacefully co-exist. The National Park Service and researchers at Washington State University are studying how human activity influences movements of bears and how they access natural resources (like huckleberries) throughout the park. Understanding these dynamics, along with climate change impacts on the resources that bears need, will help inform future park management. Trail cameras will be temporarily placed along many popular trails in the park complex during 2021, and you may even bump into researchers on the trail. If you meet a researcher, they may ask if you have seen any bears. Even if you don’t meet a researcher, please report bear encounters to National Park Service staff at a visitor center or the Wilderness Information Center.

Have you seen a bear in the North Cascades? Fill out the Bear Sighting Form.

Fisher Prey and Predators

The Cascades Fisher Reintroduction Project reintroduced 89 fishers into North Cascades National Park Service Complex and surrounding National Forests during 2018–2020. These fishers have now dispersed around the ecosystem, and researchers are trying to determine if they are reproducing, and where they have chosen to live. During 2021–2023, cameras and hair snag stations (small cubby boxes with small bristle brushes) may be present throughout the ecosystem, but will not be placed on human trails, and are unlikely to be encountered by park visitors.

Wolves

Wolves continue to colonize various parts of Washington, with most occurring in the Northeast corner of the state. The NPS uses trail cameras in the fall, winter, and spring to monitor for wolf activity, in concert with recovery efforts by US Fish and Wildlife Service and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Wolves have now been detected in the south half of the National Park, Lake Chelan NRA, and Ross Lake NRA. These temporary wolf cameras are generally in places where visitors will not encounter them, or on trails when they are largely inaccessible during the winter.

 

Research Notes

Geology

Sedimentology
An examination of Froude-supercritical flows and cyclic steps on a subaqueous lacustrine delta, Lake Chelan, WA, USA
-Aaron Fricke

Biology

Botany
Climate variability and biogeochemical cycling
- Justin Poinsatte

Herpetology
Evaluating the impacts of hydroelectric dams and elevation gradients on amphibian population genetic structure
- Jared Grummer

Riparian Habitat
Modeling climate change effects on the hydrology of North Cascades wetland ecosystems
- Maureen Ryan, Se-Yeun Lee, and Alan Hamlet

 

Citizen-Science Projects

Cascades Butterfly Project
The Cascades Butterfly Project is a citizen-science project which documents butterflies in North Cascades National Park Service Complex, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and Mount Rainier National Park.