Volunteer opportunity! Help survey the red fox

Some of you may have seen those furry fox friends up on the Cascade Lakes Highway or maybe during a ski day at Mount Bachelor or somewhere in the backcountry. If you were in the central Oregon Cascades, it is likely, you saw a Sierra Nevada red fox!

This summer, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is working with Washington State University to study a rare subspecies of red fox, the Sierra Nevada red fox.

The project is looking for volunteers to help survey for the Sierra Nevada red fox through individual observations or helping with scat collection. 

Helping out on the project will provide an opportunity to learn about wildlife that inhabit high elevation areas and practice collecting data that scientists will use to gain a better understanding of the Sierra Nevada red fox population in Oregon. 

Interested in volunteering?

Sign up at the link below and select “Red Fox Tracking in Oregon Cascades – Support Role” on page two of the registration form.

For those who want to help search independently , you can share your observations through ODFW’s community science portal on iNaturalist. Instructions for submitting observations can be found at this link.

The project is partly funded by a Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund.