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!