Monitoring elusive vertebrates after fire

Climate change has brought with it wildfires that are larger, more intense, and more frequent than historically typical. Though species living in wildfire-prone areas are well-adapted to handle wildfires in general, the new "megafires" emerging across the American West are novel challenges that wildlife may not be equipped to handle, especially smaller mammals with lower mobility. The Chiricahua fox squirrel was rarely seen before the Horseshoe II fire, and hasn't been seen since. We are conducting a survey in the Chiricahua mountains to assess the status of the Chiricahua fox squirrel population. These fox squirrels act as an early warning system for the myriad of other species living in the Chiricahuas, and if survivors are found, they could provide vital information toward identifying behaviors or landscape characteristics that may contribute toward future survival of large wildfires.