Cascade Red Fox: Through the Eyes of Our Ancestors to Present Day Knowledge
Abstract
My name is Alisa Woodruff and I am an enrolled member of the Skokomish Indian Nation (WA). The stories, songs, and dances that we have been taught since a young age can help us discover patterns of behavior in species that have long co-exited with us. We have a rich catalog of Storyworks related to fox, coyote, and raven. The Cascade Red Fox (CRF) ( Vulpes vulpes cascadensis ) is a subspecies of red fox endemic to the mountain environment of the Cascade Range in Washington State. Surveys and observations since 1985 suggest that the CRF is confined to high elevations in the Cascades. Monitoring of the CRF population since 2008 by the Cascades Carnivore Project (CCP) shows concentrations in the Southern Cascades (Mt. Adams, Indian Heaven Wilderness Area, Goat Rocks Wilderness Area, and Mt. Rainier National Park) but also suggests that some populations are small and isolated. Recent surveys for the CRF and other carnivores also suggest a loss of population abundance and distribution. As per the CCP, the decline may be due to habitat loss, habitat alteration due to climate change, widespread mid-elevation timber removal, and increased winter recreation that provides pathways into alpine areas for less snow-adapted predators and competitors such as the coyote and non-native, lowland red foxes. No surveys have been conducted in the Northern Cascades. Our research seeks to contribute to a body of knowledge which lies at the interface between Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Western Science. Our main goals are 1) to confirm patterns in CRF habitat range and distribution using evidence from traditional Storyworks and TEK, 2) to promote TEK and STEM to make positive impacts within our native communities that are being impacted daily by climate change, population growth, and modernization, and 3) to pass down knowledge to future generations.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2020
- Bibcode:
- 2020AGUFMED049..05S
- Keywords:
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- 0810 Post-secondary education;
- EDUCATION;
- 0825 Teaching methods;
- EDUCATION;
- 1630 Impacts of global change;
- GLOBAL CHANGE;
- 1637 Regional climate change;
- GLOBAL CHANGE