MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, Washington – Mount Rainier is a legend of Washington State. The active volcano stands at a height of 14,410 feet above sea level, and is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous United States. The lower mountain is covered with forest, while subalpine wildflowers cover the mountain below the summit.
A wide variety of animal species populate the park including hoary marmots, pikas, mountain goats, Roosevelt elk, silver haired bats, pacific chorus frogs and fishers (which are thriving after a reintroduction program). There also exists a much more elusive and rare animal in MRNP, the wolverine. Scientists with Utah State University were lucky enough to capture a family on camera on Paradise Glacier.
There are an estimated 15,000-19,000 wolverines, or gulo gulo living in Canada. But in the lower 48 states, there population is vanishingly small. According to the Endangered Species Coalition, the breeding population is estimated at less than 50, and the overall population is less that 300. Subpopulations separated by mountain valleys, lower snowpacks and climate change, and human disturbances like trapping, roads, resource extraction, and winter recreation, have all acted as a threat to the wolverine population.
The study recorded 99 observations of wildlife throughout, including 7 birds and 9 mammals. Three of those animals, the Cascade red fox, the white-tailed ptarmigan, and the wolverine, are considered species of concern in Washington state.
“Collectively, our results reveal a rich diversity of wildlife using a single mountain glacier and adjacent habitat in the Pacific Northwest, emphasizing a largely overlooked risk of climate change to mountain biodiversity. We conclude by highlighting the global need for similar studies to better understand the true scale of biodiversity that will be impacted by glacier recession in mountain ecosystems.” – Utah State University study.
National Park Service on the Wolverine Population:
Wolverines are probably one of the least studied carnivores in North America and one of the most difficult terrestrial animals to study. Wolverine ecology has not been thoroughly studied in Denali, but scientists studying other predators commonly see their tracks during other wildlife studies.
The reduction and elimination of wilderness throughout the western contiguous United States and western Canada is a major factor in the decline of wolverine populations in these once wild areas. They are considered a species at risk in the Northwest Territories, Canada, a species of special concern in western Canada, and are currently on the US Fish and Wildlife Service list for consideration as a threatened or endangered species for the contiguous United States. Wolverine populations in Alaska, however, are considered stable. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the continued health of wolverine populations in Alaska is best assured by both protecting large expanses of wilderness and preventing overharvest.
You can read more about the study on Paradise Glacier HERE.