Science & Research

Your Gifts in Action: Restoring Aquatic Ecosystems at Mount Rainier

Get an in-depth look at the aquatic ecosystems of Mount Rainier, and see how your support helps enable monitoring and restoration efforts to keep them healthy.

Science in the Parks: The Cascades Butterfly Project

As days get longer and winter’s chill begins to wane, many of us are experiencing the anticipation of getting boots back on the trails in our parks’ high country. If you’re among those who delight in wandering summer wildflower meadows, you might want to consider joining the team of community...

Meet the Wily and Wonderful Cascade Red Fox on World Wildlife Day

With its twitching nose, dainty trot, and appealing expression, a more charming creature than the Cascade red fox is hard to imagine. But its charisma, coupled with that famous foxy cleverness, has led to trouble for this adorable mountain mammal. Learn about efforts to protect Cascade red foxes in Mount...

Meet the Birds of the North Cascades

Chris Williams, an interpretive ranger at North Cascades National Park, took us on a virtual field trip to the North Cascades to meet some of the many bird communities that call the park home.

More Fishers Come Home to the Olympics

Significant progress has been made in bringing fishers home - a conservation effort that Washington’s National Park Fund donors have provided long-term support for. Learn about the most recent release of five fishers in the wild southeast corner of Olympic National Park.

Where in the World are the Wolverines?

The wolverine is one of the most elusive and fascinating carnivores of the North Cascades. Washington’s National Park Fund was joined by Ranger Merrisa Bluestein of North Cascades National Park for a Virtual Field Trip in July 2020 where we were introduced to this critter and all its unique characteristics...

Meet Olympic National Park’s Marmots and the Citizen Scientists Who Study Them

On December 2, 2020, Olympic National Park Wildlife Biologist Patti Happe joined Washington’s National Park Fund for a Virtual Field Trip where we were introduced to one of the park’s most unique and beloved animals – the Olympic Marmot. These furry creatures are genetically distinct from other marmots and endemic...

On Earth Day, We Took a Trip to Mountain Goat Country

Earth Day is an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection—and there are few better examples of that principle in action than the mountain goat translocation project. In our April 22, 2020 Virtual Field Trip, Olympic National Park wildlife biologist Patti Happe took us on a journey through the...

Ready, Set, Streamflow: Researching Streamflow at Mount Rainier National Park

Nothing beats a day spent hiking a trail through the spectacular subalpine meadows of Mount Rainier National Park – except maybe combining that hike with the opportunity to contribute to important research by volunteering as a citizen scientist. That’s how I and a small group of other volunteers spent a...