Words by Gretchen Kay Stuart
Coyotes and red foxes are rivals. Published research from Madison, WI and Yellowstone have shown that the two species are more tolerable of each other in urban settings where food is plentiful, but in the wilderness, coyotes will kill foxes - not for consumption, but to reduce competition for resources such as prey and territory. This suggests the potential for coyotes to be a significant source of mortality for the endangered Cascade red fox.
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.
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 3/22, a Cascade red fox again appears. Hours later, a coyote follows.
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?
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.