In the face of a climate crisis, the Colorado Pika Project (CPP, previously known as Front Range Pika Project) is engaging community scientists to conserve the American pika and safeguard the health of alpine ecosystems in Colorado
The Colorado Pika Project is a collaborative research project implemented by community scientists across Colorado and managed by Denver Zoo and Rocky Mountain Wild with assistance from researchers at the University of Colorado, Natural Resources Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Warren Wilson College. Through long-term monitoring, the CPP investigates the potential impacts of climate change on the American pika (Ochotona princeps) and Colorado’s alpine ecosystems. We provide critical data to researchers and land managers, and do so in a way that educates and engages Coloradans in conservation and the local impacts of climate change.
Volunteer community scientists (known as Pika Patrollers) hike to high-altitude field sites to collect data on the presence of pikas and the characteristics of their habitat. Our community scientists have been visiting some of these sites for a decade, which has provided critical data to land managers and researchers about the distribution and habitat use of pika. Through the dedication of CPP volunteers, we can not only track how climate change is impacting pika, but find solutions to any potential threats.
In fact, data collected by our community scientists have already been used in an analysis and article you can read here!
You can join CPP and be part of this important effort!
You can help fund this research by adopting a (plush) pika, making a one-time donation, or joining our Super Species Squad with recurring donations. Or you can volunteer as a community scientist!
For more information, please visit www.pikapartners.org or contact staff@pikapartners.org.