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"Marmothon": A Marmot Marathon for Endangered Species

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: David Robichaud, Ph.D. 102-1392 Rockland Ave. Victoria, BC V8S 1V8 home phone: 250-383-2836 work phone: 250-656-0127 x 241 email: drobichaud@lgl.com website: www.marmothon.com Victoria, BC – June 7, 2006 – A Victoria resident is raising funds and awareness for the Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation by completing a marmot marathon, or what he calls a "Marmothon." This summer, Dave Robichaud, a 33-year-old fish biologist and nature enthusiast, will travel from the eastern United States to the northern slopes of the Brooks Range in Alaska in order to spot all six species of North American marmot. He is asking people to pledge a few dollars for each species of marmot that he spots in 2006. Seeing all six species of these large mountain squirrels will not be an easy task, since marmots hibernate during most of the year, leaving a narrow window of time in the summer in which to see them. One of the most challenging species for him to spot will be the local Vancouver Island Marmot. The Vancouver Island Marmot is the most endangered mammal in Canada, and is found only on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Unfortunately, over the past few decades, populations of these marmots have declined dramatically, leaving fewer than 40 individuals in the wild. In response, the Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation has been established with the aim of restoring and maintaining a healthy population of 400-600 Vancouver Island Marmots in the wild. The Foundation hopes to achieve this goal using several approaches, including habitat protection and reintroductions of captive-bred marmots into the wild. The Foundation maintains four captive breeding sites, all located within Canada. This summer, the Foundation will release 20-25 captive-bred Vancouver Island Marmots into the wild, spread over 5 release sites. Dave Robichaud's goal is to raise enough funds to prepare at least one of these release sites for marmot re-introduction, and to give the marmots a good home. To date, Robichaud has seen three of the six marmot species, and has raised over $4,000 from individual pledges – leaving the rarest and most remote species to be seen. In between "marmoting", Robichaud also maintains a website to allow people to track his progress, read regular updates from the field, and look at photos of the marmots he has seen. His webpage can be found at www.marmothon.com For more information: www.marmothon.com Contact: drobichaud@lgl.com Home Phone: 250-383-2836 Work Phone: 250-656-0127 x241

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