Riverfront park - Marmot question (Pacific: university, eat, place)

[tmeatzie]

Gang,

I forgot to ask, but about a month - month and half ago, the marmots seemed to have disappeared from the park. Does anyone know where they went? Do they hibernate early? Did the park service do something with them? I'm new to the Pacific Northwest - and marmot watching - and enjoyed watching them through spring and summer...

Thanks!

[tmeatzie]

Gang,

I guess I'll have to hunt me down some kind of website like "wherethemarmotsare.com" if there is such a place, I thought that with all the folks that use our park there might be someone (like a university professor type) that could give me a virtual thesis paper on those little critters...

Thanks!

[skinem]

Yup, marmots hibernate. Expect that's all it is.

Groundhogs are marmots. Punxatawny Phil is a marmot. Groundhog Day could be called Marmot Day.

[Robert W. "DJ" Cameron]

I have taken pictures of the furry little monsters in Mission Park near the Mission Street Bridge, which I cross frequently and am never without my brownie. I don't feed them but I do give filberts to the squirrels in the park who are not adverse to a little begging. I never pass more than 2 filberts because I woulld hate to see a fat little frozen squirrel that could not feed him(her?)self. Making rules against feeding park animals is a lot of unecessary hooey. They (all park animals) are very resourceful and would thrive without or in spite of our help. In the wild a tame marmot would probably serve as a meal rather than find one but if not eaten he would surely eat. Don't worry so much about it. Natural selection is at work no matter what you do.