Hay piles and pellets: searching for pikas in Glacier National Park
Oftentimes, pikas will let out an "eeep!" to alert other members of their colony that there is a nearby threat. (photo courtesy of Geneva Thompson)
Glacier National Park Conservancy Director of Development Stacy Dubuc goes through the process of collecting and cataloguing a pika pellet. (Taylor Inman/Daily Inter Lake)
Volunteers identify what remains of a pika hay pile, which Belt said was probably left over from a previous season. (Taylor Inman/Daily Inter Lake)
A pile of pika pellets. Pellets are being collected by researchers and citizen science volunteers in Glacier National Park and will be sent off to a Missoula lab for further analyzing. (photo courtesy of Geneva Thompson)
Pika's are often seen with vegetation in their mouths, stocking up for a long winter. (photo courtesy of Andrew Smith)
A volunteer looks under a rock for signs of a pika, such as pellets or a hay pile. (Taylor Inman/Daily Inter Lake)
A pika poses on a rock. (photo courtesy of Andrew Smith)
Glacier’s Citizen Science Program Manager Jami Belt points to a pika during a survey trip on Aug. 24, 2023. (photo courtesy of Andrew Smith)
Staff with the Glacier National Park Conservancy volunteer for a day of pika surveying with Glacier’s Citizen Science Program Manager Jami Belt and Researcher Lucas Moyer-Horner. (photo courtesy of Geneva Thompson)
Hiking among the many talus slopes in Glacier National Park, one might be so lucky to catch a glimpse at the elusive pika. The tiny member of the rabbit family is losing footing in similar habitats across the country due to a warming climate. ...
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