Spotted Owl Demography Study Area Surveys

Raedeke Associates has been conducting monitoring of spotted owl populations since 1991. Many "Demography Study Areas" throughout the range of the spotted owl were established in an effort to understand the overall status of the northern spotted owl, wherever it occurs. Raedeke wildlife staff have collected data in the Rainier Demography Study Area, which is primarily Mt. Rainier National Park, as well as forests located adjacent to the north of The Park. These efforts are completed in cooperation with nonprofits, private landowners, and federal agencies.

In recent years, the introduction of autonomous recording units (or ARU's for short) has allowed scientists to deploy an automated device that collects sound data for months at a time. This data can be imported into specialized software that analyzes the sounds for spotted owl vocalizations. Raedeke has begun implementation of these units across many of our historic spotted owl sites, and is committed to using the most effective survey techniques to help assess the status of this federally threatened species.