Seattle City Light: Wildlife Research Grant

Seattle City Light: Wildlife Research Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Seattle City Light
Amount: US $5,000 - US $75,000
Last Updated: September 26, 2025

Summary

Seattle City Light's Wildlife Research Grant provides funding for projects aimed at understanding and protecting wildlife resources in the North Cascades ecosystem. Since 1995, the program has supported diverse research initiatives, producing significant academic contributions and informing wildlife management practices. Researchers are encouraged to focus on key priorities such as habitat connectivity and the effects of climate change on vulnerable species. The program seeks projects that complement existing research and adhere to professional standards.

Overview

Background Seattle City Light offers wildlife research funding to qualified recipients for the purpose of developing understanding, management, and protection of wildlife resources in the North Cascades ecosystem. Since 1995, we have funded a wide range of research projects on topics like riparian plant communities, aquatic invertebrates, shorebirds in the Skagit Delta, lynx ecology, land bird monitoring, mountain goats, American pika, wolverines, amphibians and grizzly bears. The research projects have produced not only many graduate school theses, dissertations and technical reports, but also more than a dozen peer-reviewed professional journal publications. The projects have helped to inform agencies on such topics as mountain goat reintroduction, assessment of potential grizzly bear habitat, and substantial new information on wolverine movements and ecology. Research Priorities We strongly encourage applicants to consult with the Wildlife Research Advisory Committee prior to proposal development to appropriately focus proposals. Below are some of the current priorities: Habitat connectivity, population estimates and/or demography of federal candidate, threatened or endangered wildlife species in the North Cascades (includes spotted owl, marbled murrelet, wolverine, fisher, grizzly bear, gray wolf). Priority species or animal aggregations, as identified by federal or state agencies or tribes for the North Cascades, because of their population status, sensitivity to hydrologic conditions or habitat alteration, and/or recreational, commercial, or tribal importance (elk, mountain goats, etc.)  Wildlife or ecosystem relationships for WDFW's Priority habitats in the Skagit watershed;  Effects of the hydroelectric project operation on wildlife species; Forest carnivore habitat use, population estimates, abundance of potential prey, and demography;Big Game (Oreamnos americanus) habitat use;Impacts of human activities on wildlife;Impacts of climate change on wildlife and responses of wildlife to climate change, for example:  What species are expected to be most affected by climate change or the combination of climate change and on-going habitat conversion?  Are high-elevation pollinator populations changing?  How is climate and habitat fragmentation influencing the distribution of predators and how will changes in predator distributions change prey abundance and distribution?  How does climate change affect high-elevation mammal populations such as heather voles, marmots, and pikas? (see ongoing North Cascades research here)  What is the status of ptarmigan populations and how are they affected by climate change?  Are species distributions shifting due to climate change (e.g. red squirrels and Columbia ground squirrels)?  Are hybridization rates along suture lines (such as red squirrel and Douglas squirrel) changing with the influence of climate change? View full program details in the Wildlife Research Grants Program Booklet.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Projects must meet all the Wildlife Research Program's goals as outlined in the Mission & Goals statements in the Wildlife Research Grants Program Booklet.Selected projects should complement, contribute to, or build onto the existing body of wildlife research.Professional standards must be met for all research funded.

Ineligibility

Projects may not duplicate or substitute for usual agency responsibilities and programs.