鈥婯evin Gourlay and Chelsea Brager describe their job as 颅鈥渕armoteering.鈥�
The two are part of a team of five field technicians who go to formidable lengths to find and monitor Canada鈥檚 most 颅endangered, and possibly most endearing, rodent: the 91原创 Island 颅marmot.
It鈥檚 a case of climb every mountain, ford every stream in the search for the shy, chocolatey-brown, cat-sized cousin of the 颅squirrel 鈥� even if that involves hiking, biking, skiing or scrambling along peaks while enduring cold, heat, or bugs.
鈥淲e鈥檙e kind of the boots on the ground for the recovery effort,鈥� said Gourlay, who works with his peers for the Marmot Recovery Foundation to help monitor, release, rescue and feed the highly endangered creatures.
Endemic to Canada and threatened with extinction, only 30聽91原创 Island marmots remained as recently as 2003 in a handful of locations 鈥� decimated by habitat loss spurred by 颅climate change, and hungry wolves and cougars able to get to their 颅colonies thanks to the roads built for industrial activity in the 颅previously inaccessible alpine forests.
A collaborative breeding and release program and 颅conservation effort has boosted the wild population to about 200, and 颅reintroduced marmots to areas where they had been completely wiped out. But their existence is still extremely tenuous, and every marmot counts.
Despite a cuddly demeanour, marmots live in remote, harsh conditions 鈥� usually higher than 1,000 metres among the peaks of 91原创 Island, Gourlay said.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e an alpine species,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, basically, we have to get right up on top of the mountains to find them.鈥�
Typically, that involves using a helicopter to access the most remote marmot colonies.
However, the aircraft are scarce this summer, wrapped up in the battle against the wildfires tearing across the B.C. Interior.
So, Gourlay and Brager recently went on a backcountry 颅journey 鈥� voluntarily, no less 鈥� that involved canoeing across a lake before hiking uphill for two days with 50 pounds of gear deep into Strathcona Park to check on a number of marmot colonies that hadn鈥檛 been surveyed for some time.
The effort brought a sweet reward.
On the last evening of their five-day excursion, Gourlay followed a hunch, explored a new area, and discovered a new marmot colony in a narrow gully.
鈥淚t was an exhilarating rush,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was pretty comical with these little heads popping out of holes in the ground all over the place.鈥�
Moments later, one whistled the alarm, and marmots scattered in every direction, making a full count impossible.
But the signs are positive that it鈥檚 a fairly established population with some adults, a yearling, and about seven or eight pups.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e absolutely adorable,鈥� Gourlay said of the playful youngsters. The young tend to be far more active than the adults, which spend much of their time lounging on rocks the five months they are above ground after hibernation.
Finding a well-populated site in Strathcona Park is particularly significant because marmots were completely extirpated from the area and mortality rates in the region tend to be higher due to more extreme conditions, he said.
And the Strathcona Park find is in addition to two other colonies uncovered this summer, said Cheyney Jackson, the marmot foundation鈥檚 field co-ordinator.
Both were spotted by hikers, who relayed the information to the foundation. One was also in Strathcona Park, while the other was in the Nanaimo Lakes region, she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly exciting for us,鈥� said Jackson. The foundation went out to confirm the reports.
鈥淲ith any endangered species, every positive sign is celebrated, because there are just so many challenges that you鈥檙e working against,鈥� Jackson said.
The overall marmot population has, thankfully, been stable over the past two years, but colonies are extremely vulnerable to predators and deaths during hibernation, she said.
But given there were no remaining colonies at all in Strathcona Park until the foundation did their first releases in 2007, it鈥檚 encouraging news, she added.
It鈥檚 too early to say what the population numbers will be for 2021 until all the surveys are complete, but pup production seems to be strong this season, Jackson said.
It takes a particularly dedicated individual to be part of a crew that scours and slogs through the wilderness for the marmots鈥� sake, Jackson said.
鈥淣ot only to do it once but to do it, again and again, the next day for four consecutive months and keep smiling the whole time,鈥� she said.
鈥淭hey are still curious when they hear that whistle, exploring and trying to figure out where it came from. That鈥檚 how these discoveries are made.鈥�
For Brager, the work marries a passion for conservation biology with her love of the outdoors.
Regardless of any challenges, marmots, affectionately known as whistle pigs, are worth it, she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just an interesting animal to work with, and such a flagship species for conservation,鈥� she said.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e so representative of the island itself, and the biodiversity that it hosts. It feels like you鈥檙e really contributing to really good work.鈥�
