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LTEM: Monitoring small mammal populations in Olympic National Park
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Dr. D. Erran Seaman and, Dr. Kurt J. Jenkins, USGS, FRESC, OFS
 Small mammals play several key roles in Olympic National Park ecosystems. Small mammals, for example, are important vectors in the dispersal of mushrooms and truffles, including the ectomycorrhizal fungi that play a critical role in the uptake of nutrients by conifer trees. Small mammal populations also prey upon arthropods, seeds, and small vertebrates (e.g., eggs and fledglings of songbirds), while also sustaining higher trophic levels of both avian and mammalian carnivores, notably the northern Spotted owl, a federally-listed threatened species in Pacific Northwestern Forests and rare, declining or locally-extinct populations of martins and fishers. 
In 1998, we initiated a 3-year pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of estimating and monitoring populations of small mammals in low- elevation old-growth coniferous forests of Olympic National Park. Our objectives were to determine species present in low-elevation conifer forests, evaluate estimates of species abundance, and make recommendations for monitoring trends in absolute or relative abundance of small mammals at a park wide scale.
Roberts, S., K. J. Jenkins, and others. In Prep. Monitoring small mammals in Olympic National Park: preliminary design studies. USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center.
 We are indebted to Susan Roberts (USGS) for her help managing and analyzing data sets and drafting many key sections of the final report. We would also like to thank Katherine Beirne and Roger Hoffman for help in developing the database and providing geographic information. Thanks to Dave Manson, our lead technician, for overseeing field operations and to the following individuals for for conducting field work for this project: Jen Shulzitski, Lori Overacre, Alan Watson, Kathe Derge, and Roger Meyer. Carrie Donnellan prepared the metadata summaries for this project.
Kurt Jenkins
Phone: 360-565-3041
E-mail: kurt_jenkins@usgs.gov
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