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Home News Blog The Forest Service and Snoqualmie Indian Tribe want your observations along the Middle Fork Snoqualmie

The Forest Service and Snoqualmie Indian Tribe want your observations along the Middle Fork Snoqualmie

Posted by melanib at Sep 24, 2024 10:15 AM |

The Middle Fork Snoqualmie area is a great destination for fall and winter hiking. If you visit Pratt River, Otter Falls, Garfield Ledges or other area hikes this fall, you can collect data to help inform research about local wildlife. The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe is partnering with the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest on a survey to find out how hikers and other forms of outdoor recreation may be affecting animals in the area.

The Middle Fork Snoqualmie area is a great destination for fall and winter hiking. If you visit Pratt River, Otter Falls, Garfield Ledges or other area hikes this fall, you can collect data to help inform research about local wildlife. 

The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe is partnering with the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest on a survey to find out how hikers and other forms of outdoor recreation may be affecting animals in the area.

Share your observations any time you visit trails in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie area throughout the fall.

Juvenile black bear among red and green bushes
Public lands are critical to Washington’s Tribes to protect the fish, plants, wildlife and sacred places on which their cultures depend. Photo by Steve Kennedy

You can help wildlife each time you hike

Spotting wildlife is one of the joys of hiking. As people who love the outdoors, we want to care for wildlife while we explore the ecosystems where they live.

Hikers have an impact. While our impact varies greatly by species, habitat and the time of day and season we are outdoors, we know that our presence outside can disturb wildlife. 

With that in mind, here are ways you can help wildlife every time you hike:

  • Travel on durable surfaces and designated trails
  • Make noise to alert animals to your presence
  • Give animals space
  • Keep human food for humans
  • Keep dogs on leash
  • Know and follow seasonal regulations 

Check out WTA’s tips for hiking with wildlife for more ideas.

Deer licks its nose in front of a snowy background
With fewer leaves on trees and shrubs, you may stand a chance of seeing more wildlife in winter than in summer. Photo by Jenna Paglia

This survey will help caretakers of our public lands take new approaches 

We can also protect the wildlife we love by being part of land managers’ (like the U.S. Forest Service) decisions about how people visit the outdoors. Responding to this fall’s survey will help the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe and the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest learn more about how to best support wildlife. 

The data you and others collect will be used to guide potential approaches to reducing human impact on wildlife in the area. This could include new informational signage and ranger education of visitors on topics like dog etiquette and proper food storage, as well as other actions. 

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