Aug 1, 2014 - Aug 2, 2014 Time: 5:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Dr. Chris Ray - A Pika in My Pocket: a research presentation and training for research citizen scientists. August 1, 5:30 pm, presentation followed by PikaNet Citizen Science training, 7-8 pm at San Juan Public Lands Center, 15 Burnett Ct., Durango. Presentation and training offered by a partnership between San Juan Mountains Association and Mountain Studies Institute Dr. Chris Ray is a researcher at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Her research focuses on how populations of threatened species respond to disease, climate, and other human impacts. Her current research focuses on climate-related impacts on American Pika health, behavior, and survival. She has studied Pikas for 20+ years, and currently tracks populations in Montana’s Gallatin National forest and at the University of Colorado’s Long-Term Ecological Research site on Niwot Ridge near Boulder, CO. Saturday, August 2, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. PikaNet Field Training. Meet at MSI’s Mountain House (740 Reese Street, Silverton). Bring water, snacks, sunscreen, sun hat, and field clothing appropriate for current weather conditions. PikaNet is a citizen science initiative to engage people in monitoring the American Pika. This high alpine creature is considered an indicator species of climate change due to its high vulnerability to warming global temperatures. Annual trainings teach volunteers what species and indicators they are looking for, where to find them, how to collect data, and finally how to submit the data to a statewide online database. These workshops will be a combination of indoor and outdoor trainings. The effort is collaboration between Mountain Studies Institute, Denver Zoo, Rocky Mountain Wild, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at CSU, and San Juan Public Lands Center. The monitoring effort is linked to the research being done by Drs. Chris Ray and Liesl Erb. To register for the PikaNet Training, email Noah Chutz at vista@mountainstudies.org.