The term B次元官网网址榙irty jobB次元官网网址� doesnB次元官网网址檛 quite do this one justice.

The Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is hoping to transform some of the West CoastB次元官网网址檚 least squeamish locals into B次元官网网址榩oop fairiesB次元官网网址� to help monitor wolves on the West Coast.

Each valiant B次元官网网址榩oop fairyB次元官网网址� will be taught tracking techniques as well as to identify wolf scat and differentiate it from other predatorsB次元官网网址� feces as part of the uniquely hands-on citizen science project, according to Todd Windle, a resource management officer with the Park Reserve.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a great way to get outside and learn more about natural history while contributing to coexistence with wolves and a larger understanding collectively,B次元官网网址� Windle told the Westerly B次元官网网址. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a pretty cool way to get involved in conservation in your area.B次元官网网址�

The Poop Fairy Program is part of the Park ReserveB次元官网网址檚 ongoing multi-year Wild About Wolves project designed to increase coexistence and decrease conflicts between humans and wolves both inside and outside the Park ReserveB次元官网网址檚 borders.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e working across boundaries just like the wolves do,B次元官网网址� he said.

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Interested B次元官网网址榩oop fairiesB次元官网网址� must be able to commit to at least one poo hunt per month for one year and they cautioned volunteers not to expect goldmines each time they search.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檇 probably be lucky for the average volunteer to pick up one or two in a month realistically,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淥nce you kind of start looking and get a little bit more of a trained eye you can detect them a little bit more obviously, but itB次元官网网址檚 not something thatB次元官网网址檚 going to be a huge volume thatB次元官网网址檚 for sure.B次元官网网址�

He added that anyone familiar with walking a dog, will be pleasantly surprised by what they pick up.

B次元官网网址淲ild carnivore scat is actually less smelly and less disgusting than processed dog food for sure,B次元官网网址� he said.

Windle said people who sign up will be assigned to areas they already enjoy visiting.

B次元官网网址淥bviously there are lots of people that are out and about enjoying the outdoors here whether its on beaches or trails or old logging roads. So, weB次元官网网址檙e just asking for a little bit of help from people while theyB次元官网网址檙e out there,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚t would be wonderful to get a nice little group of local volunteers and, I think, for the people that are going to be interested in it, theyB次元官网网址檙e going to be really interested in it, as weird as that sounds. And then, for other people itB次元官网网址檚 clearly going to just not be their cup of tea.B次元官网网址�

He said the wolf poop collected will be sent to a lab where it will be mined for a myriad of valuable information like diet, kinship and health.

B次元官网网址淵ou can actually get a lot of information from scat,B次元官网网址� he said.

He said poop fairies will be trained to use GPS devices to map out where wolf feces are being found and DNA will be compared to find out how wolves within packs are related to each other as well as neighbouring packs.

Learning individual diets will also help researchers understand whether different packs are focusing on different prey species while also gaining a better understanding of what wolves are hunting for at different times of year.

That could help the Park Reserve focus its management on areas where wolves are likely to be finding those prey species to better help humans avoid them.

Poo collectors will also be asked to leave some remains of the feces behind, because wolves are communicating with scent marking.

B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 want to completely remove the whole sample because itB次元官网网址檚 also how theyB次元官网网址檙e communicating with each other.B次元官网网址�

Wolves were biologically extricated from Vancouver Island in the 1960B次元官网网址檚 with occasional sightings being reported once every few years through the 1970B次元官网网址檚 and 1980B次元官网网址檚.

B次元官网网址淏asically 21 years ago now, they kind of showed up and started establishing packs and territories again,B次元官网网址� Windle explained. B次元官网网址淎s thatB次元官网网址檚 happened, so has an increase in conflicts between people and wolves.B次元官网网址�

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He said improving the West CoastB次元官网网址檚 ability to coexist with its wolf population is vital because wolves are a keystone species that heavily impact their environment and added that the Park Reserve is mandated to protect the areaB次元官网网址檚 ecological integrity and biodiversity.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e also a really important species spiritually and culturally to the Nuu-chah-nulth Nations that we share the land with,B次元官网网址� he said.

Anyone interested in becoming a poop fairy is encouraged to contact Windle at 250-726-7165 ext. 227 or Todd.Windle@canada.ca.

andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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