Steven's Pass Wildlife Dispersal Habitat Modeling

Develop a model that can be used to address the potential effects of the proposed land-change projects in the Steven’s Pass region on habitat connectivity for select focal wildlife species.

Advances in the scientific understanding of species movement and dispersal, along with new GIS analytical tools, permit the affect of land-use change on habitat connectivity to be better evaluated. The Stevens Pass area along Highway 2 in Washington State provides an important north-south connection for many wildlife species, and initial scoping for proposed projects related to the Steven Pass ski area identified habitat connectivity as an important issue to evaluate. The objective of the project described herein is to develop a model that can be used to address the potential effects of the proposed land-change projects in the Steven’s Pass region on habitat connectivity for four select focal wildlife species (American marten, Canada lynx, grizzly bear, wolverine).