Ochotona
on Mount Shasta California
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About the Project
In 1898 the
United States Government sponsored a biological expedition to Mount
Shasta California. The Division of Biology of the United
States Department of Agriculture sent scientist C. Hart Merriam. His
report, entitled "Results of a Biological
Survey of Mount Shasta, California," was published in 1899 and is a
classic of Mt. Shasta science.
In 1998, having read through the report just for amuzement, I came
across their section concerning pikas on Mt. Shasta. Having lived
in
the area since the early 1970's and being a biologist by training, I
was surprised to read about these creatures on the mountain. Although I
had seen pikas before, in the Sierra and the Rocky Mountains, I had
never heard of them living on the mountain. I quickly got out my copy
of Michael Zanger's book "Climbing Mt. Shasta" because I knew that
Michael knew the mountain as well as anyone and had a short section in
his book about mammals. There was no mention of pikas. At this point I
wondered to myself whether the turn-of-the-century populations still
existed at all.
My first pika hunt was a dismal failure. It took me several seasons to
get good at recognizing likely locales and to develop enough patience
to find the pikas. But, eventually, find them I did and in the same
places as the C. Hart Merriam expedition in addition to a few other
places.
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