Backpacking for the Marmots

Everybody loves marmots. And now you can get up close and personal with them by volunteering for a study of Olympic National Park's marmot population.

Olympic National Park is looking for volunteers willing to undertake moderate to strenuous multi-day backpacking trips for observational study. You provide your own backcountry camping gear and food; they provide GPS, binoculars, wilderness permits and training. The program is supported by Washington's National Park Fund.

This program has been operating since the summer of 2010. Last year 90 volunteers set out into the mountains to count marmots. Study results will enhance the knowledge base of the connection between marmot ecology and climate change, and help inform natural resource management decisions in the park.

Details on exact dates and locations have yet to be announced, but volunteers are likely to return in July and August to previous study locations along many of the most popular trails in the park.

Sound interesting? Check out the monitoring project information on the Olympic National Park website. It includes volunteer information, a map of location data from 2010, a 10-minute video describing the project and more. The application deadline is May 1.

And while we're thinking about our adorable little marmot friends, what's your favorite marmot story?