THE COYOTE CHALLENGE

Words by Gretchen Kay Stuart

Coyotes and red foxes do not typically get along. Research in Yellowstone National Park showed that these two canid species can coexist, but coyotes sometimes kill foxes. This suggests the potential for coyotes to be a significant source of mortality for the endangered Cascade red fox here in our study area. Coyotes likely kill foxes not primarily for consumption, but to reduce competition for shared resources such as food and space (i.e. a home range).

How has the Cascade red fox managed to persist when coyotes are increasingly found in their home ranges? The answer may lie in the snowpack.

One reason the Cascade red fox chooses to inhabit high elevations of subalpine parkland is likely to avoid predators that cannot navigate deep snow. The Cascade red fox’s small body mass and dense fur between toe pads allows them to move effortlessly across the snow’s surface. Coyotes lack these adaptations. They sink deeper into the snow, making it exhausting and inefficient to hunt. Imagine wading through waist-high powder versus wearing snowshoes.

Reduced competition for snowshoe hares and other prey, combined with a safe place to den and raise kits, were likely the conditions that allowed the Cascade red fox to persist in their harsh winter range for hundreds of thousands of years. But with the climate warming, the snowpack diminishing, and increased winter recreation creating hard-packed trails, coyotes now appear to be accessing Cascade red fox habitat year-round, sparking concern for this endangered fox’s survival.

This year, the Cascade Mountains experienced record lows in snowpack, and our monitoring stations showed that coyotes frequented high elevations throughout the entire winter.

January 13, 2025 (left) shows typical snowpack in high elevations of the Washington Cascades. Exactly one year later in 2026 (right), snowpack is alarmingly low.

On 1/19, a Cascade red fox passes by our monitoring station. Two days later, a coyote appears to follow the fox's scent into the trees.

On 3/23, at a separate monitoring station on a different mountain range, another example of a coyote appearing hours behind a Cascade red fox is recorded.

This evidence raises concerns. Is climate change removing the shield that allows an endangered fox to coexist with a dominant competitor? What can we do to help the Cascade red fox recover?

Several courses of action can be taken. At the policy level, voters can support local candidates committed to climate action, endangered species protection and research funding. Although individuals cannot directly influence snowpack conditions, other meaningful conservation measures include advocating for rodenticide bans and removals, and educating communities about the risks of feeding foxes which leads to roadside begging and car strikes.

This rare, resilient fox can still have a path forward. Let’s make sure they call these mountains home for generations to come.

NOT SO SOLITARY: SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN WOLVERINES

Words by Gretchen Kay Stuart

The wolverine is often perceived as a dangerous, solitary predator evoking concern or disdain. But this rare carnivore has been profoundly misjudged. Recently, researchers have been noting that wolverines are not as solitary as once presumed, and the family we research has been breaking this stereotype, transforming these feared and misunderstood mustelids into the endearing, relatable mammals that they truly are.

Cascades Carnivore Project has been documenting wolverine reproduction since 2018 when kits were born in Washington’s South Cascades for the first time in over a century. Female wolverines typically give birth every year or two, provided their midwinter body condition is strong. But Joni, the rock star mama of Mount Rainier, reared four consecutive litters including triplets in 2023. After taking one year off from motherhood in 2024, she raised a single kit in 2025. As thrilling as it has been to document wolverines repopulating Washington’s Cascades, the social behavior this family has demonstrated is just as groundbreaking.

In 2023, Joni brought her 4 to 5-month-old triplets to one of our monitoring stations where they were caught on video with her mate, Van, roaming around as a family unit. Male wolverines were once thought to abandon their families, only meeting up with females to mate. But we have evidence of Van playing a fatherly role, possibly offering some indirect protection and sharing food resources as his kits follow him around their mother’s territory.

These bonds extend beyond weaning. While kits become independent by their first autumn, they often remain within their mother’s home range for an extended period. Young females have been found to establish territories adjacent to their mother’s or take over a portion of her range completely, as documented in Sweden. We believe Joni may have recently given up the western part of her territory to her daughter, Jackie.

Father, Van visits a station.

His 1 and 2 year old offspring.

Equally fascinating, some wolverines appear to spend time with their younger siblings. Two-year-old Jackie was seen on camera with her one-year-old brother ten minutes after their father stopped by. We suspect the young wolverines follow each other as they make their way in the world, before dispersing to establish their own territories.

1-year-old brothers resting...

and playing.

In 2024, 1-year-old brothers from the litter of triplets were still spending time together through rest and play. They spent three months interacting around our monitoring stations (also seen in the opening image) before leaving the area.

Van and Jackie playing at a runpole.

Last April, Van was spotted for the 2nd time enjoying what can only be described as a play date with his three-year-old daughter, Jackie.

Sociality in wolverines is mysterious with fragmented documentation. Van, Joni and their offspring give us a rare opportunity to delve into the depths of familial bonds. Because social behavior is a critical part of carnivore survival, biologists urgently want to learn more. These revelations prove the value of long-term research, and we look forward to documenting this family for many more years to come.

THE SNOWPACK AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR WOLVERINES

Words and Photos by Gretchen Kay Stuart

As the changing climate continues to warm our planet, those affected will reach far beyond disappointed skiers in Washington’s Cascades this winter. According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington’s snowpack currently holds just 52% of its normal water volume, with little relief on the horizon.

We often discuss snow in terms of what it means for us: reservoirs, irrigation, and the increased wildfire risk that comes along with drought. For wolverines, this shift poses challenges as well. Deep snowpack is important for reproduction and kit survival.

Wolverine habitat in our study area has only received 34% of its annual snowpack as of February 5, 2026.

Around this time of year, wolverines give birth in dens carved not into soil, but into deep snow that persists until late spring when their kits are strong enough to start traveling with their mothers. These are not simple holes. They are intricate chambers dug into drifts that provide stable insulation against surface temperatures. The subnivean (under-snow) environment maintains a constant temperature near freezing, regardless of whether the air above is 0°F or 40°F. For wolverine kits, that stability is the difference between life and death.

Warm conditions in the Cascades create rain-on-snow events. When warm rain trickles through the snowpack, it adds weight and destroys the insulating properties of deep, fluffy snow. Wet snow can also collapse the subnivean world entirely, which wolverines and other carnivores rely upon for some of their prey.

Wolverine mothers also must plan ahead and find food for themselves and their kits when they are young and unable to leave the den. They sustain themselves in part on caches of meat stored in the snow, for example, in tree wells, which act as refrigerators to preserve their food for longer periods of time. They will stock these refrigerators in early winter before kits are born. If the refrigerator fails, the meat can thaw and rot, forcing wolverine mothers to find food elsewhere.

Wolverine habitat in the Washington Cascades alpine.

Despite these challenges, there is hope. The female wolverine in our study area has consistently reproduced with success. At least one of those offspring dispersed to Oregon and perhaps traveled further to the Sierra Nevadas where a wolverine was recently detected.

What can we do? There are many small changes to diet and lifestyle that can add up to great impact. But most importantly, we can vote in local elections. Ask that our state representatives prioritize climate change and protection of our public lands and the Endangered Species Act. Educate friends and family about the importance of biodiversity, and encourage them to vote, too. With effort and time, we just might succeed in turning things around not only for the wolverine, but for all life on earth.

GRETCHEN'S DEN DISCOVERIES (Post #3)

Words and Photos by Gretchen Kay Stuart

Let’s hear it for the Meadow Rovers!

Last year, I had special access to conduct daily observations of endangered Cascade red fox kit rearing at the first successful den site found within Mount Rainier's park boundaries since 2017.

Gretchen observes endangered Cascade red fox kits from a blind, recording detailed field notes.

Following the identification of the den site, the park’s Resource Manager, Sallie Beavers, and Superintendent, Greg Dudgeon, swiftly implemented trail closures to mitigate risks of human habituation and food-conditioning. Violators risked up to 6 months jail time and a $5,000 fine.

This management action was reinforced by Ranger David Divelbiss and his phenomenal team of volunteer Meadow Rovers who stood guard day and night at every closed trailhead to ensure the orders were respected.

One of the greatest threats faced by the Cascade red fox is car strike fatalities due to food-conditioning. Foxes that are fed even once by visitors start viewing humans as easy meal tickets. Eventually, they are lured to roads where encounters are more frequent, and the foxes are often struck and killed.

I believe it is because of the incredible effort by NPS staff and volunteers that all three kits survived and matured into thriving juveniles. By winter, they dispersed into the Cascades wilderness to establish territories and find mates, pushing their unique subspecies a meaningful step back from the brink of extinction.

This success stands in stark contrast to the tragic loss of a separate litter to rodenticide poisoning at a nearby ski resort. It underscores just how vital our National Parks are for the survival of endangered species, and reaffirms the importance of keeping our public lands funded and protected.

A heartfelt thank you to the dedicated NPS staff and Meadow Rovers who made this conservation achievement possible!

HOW DOES DNA HELP WITH CARNIVORE CONSERVATION? (Part 2)

Words by Jocelyn Akins

Previously we described how mitochondrial DNA collected from carnivore scats can be used in conservation. Here, we explain how nuclear DNA, which we use to identify individual wolverines, Cascade red foxes, and Canada lynx, allows us to understand how carnivore populations are faring. Nuclear DNA comes from the nucleus in the animal’s cells and each cell has one copy. For this reason, it is much harder to successfully extract from a cell unlike mitochondrial DNA, which has many copies (housed within the many mitochrondria found in each cell).

The genotyping of nuclear DNA at genetics laboratories in Montana and California allows us to produce a genetic signature for each unique carnivore. This signature is called a genotype, and when we analayze the genotypes of many individuals together, we can see how genes move across the landscapes - that is, how individuals move and reproduce across the Cascade Range. We can create a landscape genetic resistance map to understand which landscape features, such as a large river or a low-elevation valley with a large highway, restrict animal movements, and thus restrict gene flow, thereby acting as a barrier or at least a challenge preventing carnivores from finding new mates. This type of analysis is critical to identify where to put a wildlife crossing, reduce highway speeds, or restore the forest in the area.

Photo credit: Duncan Mullen

Nuclear DNA is also used to determine if a population is so small that individuals are beginning to breed with close relatives, which can negatively impact the health of individuals, and thus the chances that a population will persist over time. When populations are inbred, we start looking for ways to restore connections points across the landscape, such as safe passage ways over highways to facilitate animal movement, reconnect populations, and increase genetic diversity. We may also ask whether we should introduce individuals from elsewhere and "genetically rescue” a small, inbred population. While this is no small feat, it has been successful elsewhere including with Florida panthers!

GRETCHEN'S DEN DISCOVERIES (Post #2)

Words and Photos by Gretchen Kay Stuart

On the evening of August 11th, 2025, I finished my observations of the three Cascade red fox kits at their Mount Rainier den. As I packed my gear, a silhouette in a nearby tree stopped me cold: a juvenile great horned owl. The kits were only about three months old and perfect prey for raptors.

A cell phone image snapped of the juvenile great horned owl stalking the den site.

The next morning, the den site was silent. No playful tumbling, no curious faces. I hurriedly checked the trail camera and found footage that confirmed my fear. Early that morning, the owl had chased one kit in a blur of motion toward a den entrance. Had the kit made it safely inside?

I moved to check all the known den entrances for any sign of fur, feathers or a struggle. To my surprise, at the mouth of an entrance lay a single great horned owl wing! The message was clear. One of the parent foxes had declared, “No swooping at my babies”. The hunter became the hunted!

A cell phone photo documenting the great horned owl wing.

Later, a wave of relief washed over me as all three kits emerged from their underground burrows unharmed. I spent the rest of the day in awe and gratitude for the fierce, unwavering protection of their parents.

GRETCHEN'S DEN DISCOVERIES (Post #1)

Words and Photos By Gretchen Kay Stuart

Last June, a routine patrol by a Meadow Rover, (a volunteer who educates visitors about the fragile wildflower meadows at Mount Rainier National Park), resulted in the discovery of three Cascade red fox kits. At approximately two months old, these vulnerable pups belonged to the first active den found within park boundaries since 2017. To shield them from the dangers of human crowds and food-conditioning, the National Park Service took immediate action, establishing a protective closure around the den site.

In my sixth year of field efforts dedicated to studying this elusive subspecies, this was a dream scenario. As part of a science team, I had access to monitor the den site, allowing me to conduct daily in-depth observations of Cascade red fox kit rearing. While I am saving the most exciting findings for future posts, today, I would like to introduce you to the three adorable kits at the heart of this story.

Left to right: 2B, Loner, Sunny

The Cross-Phase Male: In my field notes, I initially called this distinctive kit “Cross.” But during a Q&A I held with park Rangers, the perfect name was suggested: Sunny. It suited him wonderfully, and the name stuck.

The Two Black-Phase Sisters:  We believe two kits are females due to the ability to zoom in on high resolution photos.

One sister has slightly lighter markings on her belly. I gave her the temporary name "Loner" because I often found her at a separate den entrance from her siblings—perhaps a clever strategy to spread the risk if a predator were to discover them.

The other sister, whom I logged as "2B" (for 2nd black kit), was the bold explorer of the family. Her insatiable curiosity quickly won me over and I developed a special fondness for her emerging personality.

Official naming of the sisters is still to come. I hope the honor will go to the incredible team of Meadow Rovers who diligently stood guard at trailheads for this fox family over the most sensitive months of their development.

The male cross-phase kit and his sister, 2B.

To ensure my presence did not disrupt their natural behavior, my observations were made from a blind at a distance using a long lens. This allowed me to witness the fox family’s authentic world without obvious disturbance.

This is just the beginning of the story. Stay tuned for more den discoveries in upcoming posts!

THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF VOLUNTEERING

How Scat Collection Inspired a Scientist and Gained a Board Member

Words and Photos by John Soltys

Mount Rainier National Park is where my kids and I first became community scientists more than 10 years ago and where I first collected scat for Cascades Carnivore Project. On one of the last nice days of the year, my daughter, now an environmental science graduate from the University of Washington, joined me to search for scat. We hiked a five mile loop and collected four samples from Cascade red foxes. Each collection takes just a few minutes and each time we stopped we got to talk with other hikers about the work CCP does. It's easy to share our passion for community science with others. Hopefully it will influence them the way it did my kids, turning them into scientists. It sure worked on me. I started as a volunteer in the field; now I'm a member of the Board of Directors for CCP. My contributions to the Board are administrative, in line with my professional life. But given half a chance, you'll find me, and probably my kids, looking for scat high in the mountains. Between Paradise and Sunrise, there are plenty of opportunities to contribute to CCP’s research year-round. I hope to see you out there!

POISON IN THE FOOD CHAIN: WHAT RODENTICIDES MEAN FOR THE CASCADE RED FOX

Words By Caitlin Beebe

One of the rarest carnivores in North America lives in Washington’s Cascade Mountain Range: the Cascade red fox. This unique, mountain fox is adapted to alpine and subalpine habitats of the Cascades, endures harsh winters, varying snowpacks, and rugged terrain; yet its presence is waning. One increasingly relevant threat is anticoagulant rodenticides.

What are Anticoagulant Rodenticides?

Rodenticides are a type of poison that are designed to kill rodents such as voles, mice and chipmunks–several of the main prey sources for foxes and other carnivores. These poisons work by traveling through the body to interfere with blood coagulation, clotting, and cause spontaneous bleeding. The poison remains volatile in rodents beyond death: a carnivore that consumes the rodent either as prey or from scavenging a carcass can also be poisoned. Sometimes the volume is small enough that it simply makes the animal sick, but often, the secondary poisoning will cause mange or death.

Impacts to Cascade Red Foxes

Cascade red foxes have been observed displaying symptoms of poisoning and their carcasses have been found in recreational areas of Washington’s National Forests. Wherever there is an abundance of humans, we find an abundance of rodents, as rodents are drawn to the excess food and garbage that comes along with human habitation in these wild places. In order to control rodent populations, resorts and recreational sites will set out rodenticides underneath and around buildings and other structures that foxes may use for protection while raising young. When rodenticides are used in places with known foxes, the foxes could be impacted. 

Cascade red foxes are a prey generalist that eats a diversity of food items, including small and mid-sized mammals, insects, fruit, birds and carrion. Despite their generalist nature, their diet is mostly made up of small rodents that act as the primary pathway for the fox to be poisoned by rodenticides. When rodenticides are present in a system, all carnivores are affected, but species like CRF that are already vulnerable due to their small population numbers are especially impacted by rodenticides. The loss of a single breeding adult or kit could have severe consequences for the species’ survival. As recreation and development expand into alpine regions, the risk of exposure grows. ARs used around infrastructures such as cabins or ski resorts do not stay contained – they ripple outward into the food web, and unlike species with larger, more stable populations, the CRF has no margin for error.

Safer Paths Forward

Across the West, communities are addressing the fatal use of rodenticides, and showing that there are alternative solutions to addressing rodent problems without poisoning wildlife. 

Effective alternatives include:

• Rodent-proofing buildings with exclusion barriers.

• Reducing attractants by securing food, trash, and compost.

• Mechanical traps in protective boxes to reduce and prevent bycatch of non-target species.

• Rodent fertility control products like ContraPest, which in field studies reduced rodent activity by up to 94% when used alongside exclusion measures.

What You Can Do

Protecting Cascade red foxes and other wildlife starts with choices we can make in our own backyards:

• Avoid rodenticides and encourage your neighbors, home owners association, and local businesses to support alternative solutions.

• Support non-toxic pest management policies in your local city, county, and at state level by supporting legislation that restricts the use of the most dangerous rodenticides.

• Volunteer or donate to wildlife monitoring and conservation projects, including efforts to protect Cascade red foxes.

• Spread the word: many people simply do not know the impacts rodenticides have on wildlife

• Contact Washington’s legislators to demand that rodenticides are immediately removed from Cascade red fox habitat and voice support for a state-wide ban.

By replacing these poisons with safer, effective alternatives, we can limit our impact and take tangible steps towards safeguarding its future, and support the CRF’s ability to persist in the Cascades for years to come.

Further Reading:

https://www.nps.gov/samo/learn/management/rodenticides.htm 

https://cwhl.vet.cornell.edu/disease/rodenticide-toxicity 

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/pesticides_reduction/pdfs/2021_pesticide_summary_cdfw-cdpr.pdf

https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02310 

https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2024/08/proposed-rodenticide-ban-ordinances-in-mass-sets-the-tone-for-protecting-biodiversity/#:~:text=In%20Massachusetts%2C%20the%20town%20of,a%20prohibition%20on%20private%20property. 

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3528&context=icwdm_usdanwrc 

https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/vulpes-vulpes-cascadensis#desc-range