A species that is only found in the alpine meadows of Washington’s Olympic mountain range is now under review for the highest level of federal protection.
Olympic marmots cleared the first hurdle on the path to a possible listing as a federally protected endangered or threatened species. They were among 10 species the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service included in a memo laying out its findings last month. If successful, the listing would require the agency to create a recovery plan and take steps to prevent the species from going extinct.
Olympic marmots are endemic to Washington’s Olympic mountains. They thrive in alpine meadows above 4,000 feet, where they spend spring and summer munching on wildflowers and grasses to fatten up in preparation for a hibernation that can last up to eight months.
About the size of a domestic cat, these large and gregarious burrowing rodents are also known for their high-pitched warning whistles. Hikers often hear them before they see them along popular alpine trails, like Olympic National Park’s Hurricane Ridge, where the fluffy rodents can be quite friendly. Numerous videos posted online provide intimate views of the iconic Washington creatures.
But there are only between 2,000 and 4,000 left.
“They're just really enchanting and endearing animals. And to lose them would just be such a huge loss,” said Aaron Kunkler with the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, who wrote the petition for their federal protection.
He said climate change is pushing tree lines into higher elevations and shrinking the meadows where marmots thrive.
“Olympic marmots usually don't travel too far, so if you have the tree line coming up to meet them and fragmenting that habitat, that poses a real threat to them, especially since they're already at the top of the mountain. There’s really nowhere for them to go upwards,” Kunkler said.
John Bridge, president of the nonprofit Olympic Park Advocates, has volunteered for more than a decade on a survey of Olympic marmots. He signed up as soon as he heard about it because he finds Olympic marmots “way cute” and uniquely endearing.
“They're fuzzy, and they stand up and look at you. And, I mean, when something stands up and looks at you, there's this contact that you have with them,” he said. “You don't get to make eye contact with that many animals, but you do with marmots.”
But as meadows dry up and their alpine habitat shrinks, his team is seeing more and more abandoned burrows.
“This year is a great example," he said. "When we have very little snow up there, that means that we're not getting the moisture that they need for August and September, when they need to fatten up to hibernate. If they can’t fatten up, that’s just not going to work."
Another major threat is the abundance of non-native coyotes, which prey on marmots. The petition argues for a re-introduction of wolves on the Olympic Peninsula to help control the coyote population — just one of the options to protect the marmots if the Fish and Wildlife Service decides to grant them endangered status.
Kunkler said the federal government only responded after his center forced the issue with a lawsuit.
“Looking at the studies and the science is clear that the populations of Olympic marmots are not long-term sustainable. So there needs to be protections that are designed to address those threats, including climate change,” he said.
Now that the 90-day finding is complete, the agency's next step is a 12-month status review to decide if a listing is warranted.
