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Evaluating Climate-related Threats and Conservation Strategies for the Cascade Red Fox in Washington

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By Climate Adaptation Science Centers December 31, 2023
The endangered Cascade red fox, native to Washington’s southern Cascades, faces threats from climate change, habitat loss, and coyotes, which are both competitors and predators. Researchers supported by this Northwest CASC project will track Cascade red fox population sizes, movement, habitat use, and survival using GPS collars. They will use the collected data in collaboration with state, federal, and tribal agencies to develop and evaluate conservation strategies to protect the Cascade red fox in a changing environment. 
 

The Cascade red fox (CRF) is a rare, high-elevation subspecies of the red fox, now limited to Washington’s southern Cascades. Because of its scarcity, elusive nature, and lack of research, little is known about CRF abundance, survival, habitat use, movements, or threats. In 2022, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife produced a Periodic Status Report that led to the CRF being listed as endangered by the State of Washington. The Periodic Status Report identified several hypothesized threats, most linked directly or indirectly to climate change. These threats include habitat loss and the invasion of high-elevation areas by coyotes, a major competitor and predator on CRF, whose invasion may be facilitated by changing snow conditions. Despite the identification of these hypothesized threats, no specific management strategies have been developed to advance CRF management and conservation goals.   
 

To address these research and monitoring gaps, this project team will outfit CRFs with GPS tracking collars and combine that tracking data with existing capture data to estimate abundance, survival, habitat use, movements, and the impacts of various threats. Additionally, the project will initiate a multi-agency structured decision-making process, allowing state, federal, and tribal agencies to identify and evaluate alternative management strategies for CRF conservation. The data generated from this project will inform and guide decisions to conserve and protect CRF in a changing climate. 

Sarah J Converse, PhD

Research Ecologist
Cooperative Research Units
Phone
301-497-5635
The endangered Cascade red fox, native to Washington’s southern Cascades, faces threats from climate change, habitat loss, and coyotes, which are both competitors and predators. Researchers supported by this Northwest CASC project will track Cascade red fox population sizes, movement, habitat use, and survival using GPS collars. They will use the collected data in collaboration with state, federal, and tribal agencies to develop and evaluate conservation strategies to protect the Cascade red fox in a changing environment. 
 

The Cascade red fox (CRF) is a rare, high-elevation subspecies of the red fox, now limited to Washington’s southern Cascades. Because of its scarcity, elusive nature, and lack of research, little is known about CRF abundance, survival, habitat use, movements, or threats. In 2022, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife produced a Periodic Status Report that led to the CRF being listed as endangered by the State of Washington. The Periodic Status Report identified several hypothesized threats, most linked directly or indirectly to climate change. These threats include habitat loss and the invasion of high-elevation areas by coyotes, a major competitor and predator on CRF, whose invasion may be facilitated by changing snow conditions. Despite the identification of these hypothesized threats, no specific management strategies have been developed to advance CRF management and conservation goals.   
 

To address these research and monitoring gaps, this project team will outfit CRFs with GPS tracking collars and combine that tracking data with existing capture data to estimate abundance, survival, habitat use, movements, and the impacts of various threats. Additionally, the project will initiate a multi-agency structured decision-making process, allowing state, federal, and tribal agencies to identify and evaluate alternative management strategies for CRF conservation. The data generated from this project will inform and guide decisions to conserve and protect CRF in a changing climate. 

Sarah J Converse, PhD

Research Ecologist
Cooperative Research Units
Phone
301-497-5635
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