August 24 2019
Cost $65
Glacier National Park has spectacular scenery and charismatic animals, but none more vulnerable and potentially important for gauging the effects of climate change on the world above treeline, than the pika. The little “furry potato with ears”, a denizen of alpine talus, is unmercifully cute and constantly busy cutting and stacking “hay” for the coming winter. But, recent studies show that populations of pikas are disappearing across mountain ranges in the West. Although pika populations are currently holding strong in Glacier, this course will teach us about how pikas may serve an early warning system for the shrinking of alpine areas and the threats to alpine plant and animal specialists. We will also learn about the research and citizen science efforts of Glacier National Park to understand this creature. This course is about observing the surprisingly sophisticated behavior of pikas – at a respectful distance – and about the adaptations and vulnerabilities of pikas and other alpine species.

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