Family matters
There is a saying that it takes a whole village to raise a child. This might also be true when it comes to marmot pups! Vancouver Island marmot families hibernate together, and we suspect that the...
View ArticlePupdate!
Field crew have had their work cut out for them this season, particularly when it comes to counting pups. Those energetic young marmots rarely sit still, hang out in groups, and are experts at hiding...
View ArticleNest boxes for newbies
If you have ever wandered around Mt. Washington in the summer months, you may have come across a plywood box with a hole in the front and wondered what you were looking at. If that’s the case, you...
View ArticlePups Born In Captivity – 2015
Fifteen new marmot pups are facing a brighter future. The Vancouver Island marmot captive population serves two important and distinct purposes. First, it is a safety-net or life-boat population to...
View ArticleMarmot surveys – by helicopter
Vancouver Island has mountains galore, but these mountains really vary in their size, spread, and accessibility. In the Nanaimo Lakes region, for instance, there are over a dozen mountains with...
View ArticleBed time and season’s end
Well, it had to happen sometime – the 2015 Vancouver Island marmot field season has officially come to an end. We thought this would be the perfect time to review some of our activities and findings...
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Adam Taylor joining the Marmot Recovery Foundation
Adam Taylor is joining the Marmot Recovery Foundation as the incoming Executive Director. Over the next month he will be assuming Viki’s role, as she retires to new adventures! In a while, we’ll have...
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The Force Awakens: Calgary celebrates Star Wars with Marmot Pups
“The Force Awakens”, but hopefully the Vancouver Island Marmots sleep through Christmas! Meet Luke & Leia, Han Solo (hopefully not “solo” for long – we need them Marmots breeding!), Jabba,&...
View ArticleWork for the Marmot Recovery Foundation this summer!
The Marmot Recovery Foundation is seeking summer wildlife technicians. We are looking for enthusiastic, hard-working individuals that have a passion for wildlife conservation, love to work outdoors,...
View ArticleOwlkids give Herman a checkup
Owlkids sent their interpid reporter Ireland to visit the Toronto Zoo to give Herman the Vancouver Island Marmot a checkup. This was way back in 2014, but its too cute not to share!
View ArticleFirst Marmot of 2016 spotted today
Jim Vallance of West Coast Helicopters reported seeing the first Vancouver Island Marmot of 2016 at one the southern colonies today (April 14th)! More updates coming soon.
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The 2016 Field Crew
Say hello to our 2016 Field Crew! Yesterday was the first day of training, but soon the crew will be in the mountains monitoring, feeding, tagging, and releasing marmots. From left to right: Mike...
View ArticleUpdate from our first helicopter flight of the 2016 season
During this flight we were primarily using radio telemetry and looking for tracks in the snow to find marmots that had woken up from hibernation, and was focused on the southern colonies. But the crew...
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Where’s the Marmot?
If you’ve been following us on Facebook or Twitter, you may remember our post on “Is that a Marmot or a rock?” Now we have a more challenging edition for you, in one of our favourite games: Where’s the...
View ArticleAn Interview with Cheyney Jackson
As part of filming “The Perfect State”, Mike McKinlay interviewed Cheyney on the mountains observing Vancouver Island Marmots. The result is beautiful and moving.
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Marmot on “Marmot-y” Peak
Marmot in “Marmot-y area” Over the last few years, crew members have often looked at a nameless mountain bowl between two known marmot colonies and thought it would be a great spot marmots. But...
View ArticlePoor overwinter survival in Strathcona troubling
Sadly, this winter many marmots in the Strathcona region did not survive the winter. We have lost 36 marmots, half of the population in the Strathcona region. As well, there are a number of marmots we...
View ArticleWild born marmots get names
While we and the media have been focused on the sad news from the Strathcona area recently, we also have good news to share. The field crew has been busy with yearlings on Mt Washington. These wild...
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First pups of the year spotted
UPDATE: Jordan sent these photos in of the pups! Original story below. And one more … Just in time for Canada Day, Jordan, a member of the Field Crew, spotted the first new-born pups of the year! The...
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New pups in Strathcona
What a relief for us after the hard winter in Strathcona Park! While Mike and Joey were releasing marmots, they spotted an unknown female with 2 wild born pups! The female has ear tags, but we can’t...
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