Union Ridge fourth-grade students recently took part in a project about pikas.
If you ask a local fourth-grader about what they’re learning in school, you may not expect to hear “the pika.”
A pika is a small mammal about the size of a baked potato, and Union Ridge fourth-graders know more about than most.
Amanda Greenvoss with Cascades Pika Watch recently visited the school to teach the kids about the small animals, her work with them and how the students can help. At first glance, pikas resemble mice, but they are actually related to rabbits. Greenvoss showed the students a picture of a pika’s face in profile.
“Cover their ears, and their face looks more like a rabbit. They just have shorter ears,” Greenvoss told the students.
The natural habitat for a pika is cold, rocky and mountainous terrain. Surprisingly, there is a large group of pikas that inhabit the Columbia River Gorge.
“These pikas are weird,” Greenvoss said in a news release, which later mentioned that there is no real explanation for where the group of pikas came from, why they live so much closer to sea level or even how they survive in the different environment. But not only are they surviving in the Columbia Gorge, they are thriving. They even survived the destruction of a large part of their habitat in the Eagle Creek fire of 2017, hiding deep in their underground burrows.
Because the group of Pikas in the Columbia River Gorge are an anomaly, they make for great research. Greenvoss explained that Cascades Pika Watch has many “citizen scientist” volunteers who help locate and map pika populations in Oregon. The volunteers watch and listen for pikas as they hike trails and monitor a site in the Gorge. Greenvoss explained that there are many families that have joined the Cascades Pika Watch; with just one training, they can turn their family hikes into a way to help scientific research.
Teacher Kim Stenbak started the pika research project at Union Ridge Elementary. Inspired by a teaching outline by ESD 112 (Educational Service District 112), she realized this was a great way to get students involved in learning, not just about pikas, but also about the environment and how humans have affected their survival. She hopes that in the future, these students will be active in educating others about the pika and helping preserve their environment.
If you are interested in joining the Cascades Pika Watch, sign up at oregonzoo.org/pikawatch.
