?The Washington ground squirrel is in serious trouble; its habitat is dwindling due to urbanization and agricultural development, and the number of occupied population sites has decreased by >60% in the past 20 years. At present, Spermophilus washingtoni is listed as endangered in Oregon and is a candidate for listing in Washington, and also is being considered for listing under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Detailed information about the current distribution of the species and its life cycle (hibernation and active season), demography (dispersal and mortality patterns), diet, and behavior (social and reproductive) are crucial to making informed decisions about listing, management, and recovery plans.? This is the lead paragraph in the research proposal that was submitted by Columbia NWR for Science Support Partnership (SSP) funding in 2001, which was selected and will begin this winter. The goals of this research are to determine poorly understood distribution, life cycle, demography, and behavioral requirements of Washington ground squirrels, with the intent of preventing further declines in Washington ground squirrel populations and thus to prevent listing under the Endangered Species Act. Unlike some high profile species such as Peregrine Falcon and Bald Eagle, ground squirrels are noticed by few and studied by even fewer. The Washington ground squirrel occurs in only two Oregon and five Washington counties. Indeed, several ground squirrel species that numbered in the millions several decades ago have been a favorite among target shooters and poisoning efforts, including on public lands, because they were considered vermin. Prairie dogs are probably the best known of the ground squirrels that have suffered severe declines.

It wasn?t until 1998 that the severity of decline in Washington ground squirrels was pointed out locally. Dr. Paul Sherman, a behavioral ecologist from Cornell University in New York, was just finishing up a decade-long study of a closely related listed species, the Idaho ground squirrel (Spermophilus brunneus). He surveyed areas on and near the refuge for possible study sites after learning of declines from another researcher, and approached refuge staff about logistical support to study the local population. With refuge housing and living expenses supported by FWS, Sherman's annual 5-week investigations revealed that complete colonies died out or were deserted from 1999 to 2001, including one of his primary sites that declined from 22 animals to 10 to 0. An all-out effort to trap, mark and collect DNA samples from as many colonies as possible also indicated a few colonies that seemed healthy, including one that overlaps refuge land. Questions of diet, grazing, disease, inbreeding, predation, shooting and other factors were raised.

The interdisciplinary team that assembled in 2001 before Dr. Sherman returned to Cornell formed the core of a Washington ground squirrel study group. BLM and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife already had interest as land managers, and both agencies initiated more intensive surveys on lands they manage. Dr. Eric Yensen of Albertson College in Idaho, a collaborator with Sherman on the Idaho ground squirrel studies, initiated a diet study that year. Dr. Sherman's return was delayed due to family health issues, but over three years Yensen identified certain key plant taxa that play an important role in the ground squirrel diet at different colonies. Additional funding from The Nature Conservancy and the Bureau of Reclamation followed. The study group now includes one NGO, two state wildlife agencies, four USDI agencies, and four universities in addition to work occurring in Oregon.

Logistically it has been difficult to coordinate cooperative funding with a principal investigator and Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in New York, a collaborative researcher in Idaho, a graduate student in Washington, and a genetics lab in California. But from a refuge perspective there is a lot at stake. As with other ground squirrels, the Washington ground squirrel is the key component of a shrub-steppe or grassland guild encompassing several declining species. It is prey for the Prairie Falcon and Ferruginous Hawk. Badgers are probably the primary predator, and their diggings provide the homes for Burrowing Owls. All of these are priority species for Columbia NWR and many others west of the Mississippi River, and determining the reasons for ground squirrel decline and the best method of species recovery will probably guide habitat management and restoration efforts on the refuge for several decades.