Happy Winter Solstice! May you slumber in a pile of your friends and family underground for the next 5 months until there is real light in the sky and grass in the mountains. Or not. You’re not a marmot, and you might want to consider different life choices. Up to you.

In 2025 we released 43 endangered Vancouver Island marmots from the conservation breeding program back to the wild, where they are helping their species recover from near extinction.

Looking back at some of our favorite moments of 2025: Installing supplemental feeders is hard work, but watching the marmots with the biscuits – worth it.

Thank you for asking! We need a pile of Vancouver Island marmots snoring lightly to get us through these dark days of winter. www.youtube.com/watch?v=emaa...

During these short, grey days hibernation seems like a great idea! Dreaming away the winter months snuggled with your family and friends? Sounds fantastic! We should all do it!

When conservationists tracking the endangered Vancouver Island marmot checked their wildlife cameras this fall, they did double, and even triple takes at the numbers they were seeing.

Following the end of the field season, our small team has spent the past few weeks reviewing all the data we collected during this year, and I am thrilled to announce that the wild population of this critically endangered species reached a new high this year - 427 marmots!

The trail camera footage is in, and we are close to finishing our counts for 2025. While we wait for the final population numbers for the critically endangered Vancouver Island marmot, please enjoy this highlight from the footage we reviewed.

This is one of the most endangered mammals in the world – there are fewer than 400 alive in the wild right now – so it is pretty special to watch this mom and her two pups emerge from their burrow. Kids will be kids, no matter how rare your species! P.S. they are Vancouver Island marmots

A Marmot’s Guide to Yawning. Your yawn should start at the hind end, traveling up to your head and culminating in a dramatic silent scream. Complete with lip smacking to communicate how deeply satisfying this was. Strike a dramatic pose while receiving yawning admiration from onlookers.

I can only hope that marmots will haunt my grave. @thetyee.ca www.thetyee.ca/News/2025/11...

Earth Rangers have a great new video about Vancouver Island Marmots for conservation-minded kids! youtu.be/ConFxUNyPF8?...

“Booo!”? Vancouver Island marmots have a unique vocalization we call a “keaw.” It appears to be a special call between parents and their young. Here, a yearling is calling, and likely that’s one of its parents we see at the edge of the frame.

Soren is demonstrating one of the final steps for Vancouver Island marmots as they prepare for hibernation where they seal off the entrance to their burrow with a mix of mud and grass. Often they will have two “plugs,” one near the surface, and second deeper into the burrow.

Sometimes you yawn so big it worries the kids.

Play time is learning time! These year-old marmots are learning social skills they will need as adults to be part of a successful colony. Wrestling can be a pair bonding or a territorial activity. Sometime the difference is knowing how hard to bite.

For marmots, autumn is the start of hibernation, but for us it is restoration season! In northern parts of the marmots’ range most are already underground for the winter. Which is when we come to do some house cleaning; restoring the marmots’ meadows to maintain habitat these animals rely on.

Normally I post about the marmots, but this time I’d like to take a moment and some photos of the people who do the on-the-ground recovery work to recover this species. We work where the marmots live: remote, high elevation. Photo Heather Heim

RIP Dr. Jane Goodall. Her work and spirit inspired many of us to get involved in - and continue with - conservation. She often used the Vancouver Island marmots as example of what conservation can accomplish. May we all find hope in resiliency. thetyee.ca/Culture/2018...

Congrats to "Chunk" for wining Fat Bear Week! The question is can he go up against fat marmot “Gob” who is also prepping for hibernation?!? Yeah, he probably can. In fact, on second thought, we should walk this back … forget we said anything.

WARNING: Guard Marmot on Duty

Thank you to Mount Washington and everyone who came out yesterday for Plaid at the Peak to support Vancouver Island marmot recovery efforts! Gob kept a careful eye on all the visitors to make sure they behaved! Photo taken by Adam Taylor during the Plaid at the Peak event.

New life goal: to be blepped by the world’s rarest mammals. First up – the Vancouver Island marmot. A photo essay.

“The name is Bond. James Bond.” “Hello Mr. Bond. I’ll just look you up in the database…” “You don’t need to do that, just…” “It says here your name is ‘Shimmer’?” “I TOLD YOU NOT TO LOOK!”

The "feeder" is actually playground equipment. Don't know how we missed that!

We misunderstood the instructions and put the biscuits *inside* the feeder. Fortunately this marmot was willing to lend a paw and fix our mistake.

So far this summer, we’ve counted 68 pups, and we are still finding more! Last year, the Vancouver Island marmot set a new record with over 100 wild-born pups, and while we are unlikely to reach those numbers again this year, but we are happily surprised at the number of pups we have counted.

Spot the marmot. It's easy to get distracted by the view but you have a job to do.

It is always incredible seeing wild-born pups! This is one of Esmeralda and Talamore’s four pups this summer. As critically endangered species, the Vancouver Island marmot population needs all the pups it can get.

We released the last marmots of the season today! Early this morning, 4 Vancouver Island marmots were released to two sites in Strathcona Provincial Park. We will follow up with them later this month and next.

An evening pup says hello as we prepare at Mount Washington for another trip into the backcountry.

We have been a little quiet on socials recently because we’ve been busy in the field these past few weeks! Here are a few photos of the marmot releases, new pups spotted in the wild, and incredible rugged habitat where our favorite marmots live! Photos by Adam Taylor, Tyler Gill, and Heather Heim.

Spot the marmot. Video by Shayn McAskin

Yes, it is too late to change your mind.

Field Coordinator Kevin Gourlay with an update on the 10 marmots we released yesterday into Strathcona Provincial Park.

Big stretches for a small marmot.

Okay, this is cute. Two pups of one of world's most endangered mammals, the Vancouver Island marmot, tussle. The species, which once numbered fewer than 30 is recovering, but it is still magical to see wild-born pups thriving! Video Adam Taylor

19 endangered Vancouver Island marmots got released today! Huge effort with 5 field teams and a very full helicopter! What does 19 marmots in a helicopter look like?

New release Lincoln is very fond of older resident marmot Chloro! Both Lincoln and Chloro were born at the Tony Barrett Mount Washington Marmot Recovery Centre and released to the wild. Lincoln was released just last week, while Chloro has been living for the past 2 years. Video by Heather Heim

12 more endangered Vancouver Island marmot released today! At Gemini, new release Lincoln just wants to follow Chloro everywhere! Photo Shayn McAskin.

Happy Canada Day from Canada’s marmot! Unique to this country, friendly but surprisingly tough, knows when to shovel the snow & when to sleep until it melts, the Vancouver Island marmots wish you a Happy Canada Day. Also, if you happen to drop some peanut butter in the flowers that would be okay.

A few photos from the Vancouver Island marmots that we released this week at Mount Washington. Many thanks the K'omoks First Nation, Mosaic, and others who helped with these first releases of the year!

First Marmot release of the year right now at Mount Washington. 5 endangered Vancouver Island Marmots going to the wild.

The month old pups wrestle while Mom, Dad, & yealrings try to get some sleep 😴. Part of the conservation breeding program for the critically endangered Vancouver Island Marmot, the youngest will be released to the wild next year. Taken today the Mount Washington Tony Barrett Marmot Recovery Centre

Need some celebrity marmot gossip? At Mount Washington, Manny started making moves on Mayzie at Eagle Tower 8, but now Joey has found out, and he is UPSET. The boys are fighting, and Mayzie is... observing? Photo and hot sauce from Jakob Andrian.

It has been a busy couple of weeks, because the marmots are out of hibernation! There were a few sleepy stragglers still underground in the first week of June, but even they are rousing to spring.

Canada's most endangered mammal, the Vancouver Island marmot, is recovering from near extinction thanks to you. From fewer than 30 marmots left in the wild in 2003, to 381 this winter, the species is returning to mountains that have been its home for eons.

Van Is marmot Henrietta moved downslope into an active forestry area just before winter. Rather than disturb her hibernation, we waited until her telemetry indicated her had emerged this spring to trap her. Now she is at the Marmot Recovery Centre & will be released this summer to better habitat.

Now that marmots are emerging, its time to get supplemental feeders out! That's a couple feeders and 50ibs of food Jakob is packing upslope at Mount Washington! (Presumably Shayn was also hauling gear upslope when he wasn't filming 😄). Why? ⬇️

Happy Mother's Day to all our Vancouver Island marmot moms! These heroes are bringing their species back from the brink of extinction! Photo Ryan Tidman