Highlights from Sightline's wildlife index for the Cascadia Scorecard project.

To measure the health of Northwest wildlife and the ecosystems that support them, Sightline Institute has introduced a wildlife index, the latest addition to the Cascadia Scorecard. The index tracks population counts of five key indicator species: gray wolves, mountain caribou, greater sage-grouse, orcas, and Chinook salmon.

The Scorecard measures population counts because they are the most basic assessment of a species' prospects and may reveal how the larger ecosystems that sustain the species are functioning.

In addition to a five-species overview, the index tracks population trends of each species over time (see chart above), comparing current numbers to historical levels; and depicts habitat loss through animated maps that track species' current and historic ranges. The index also helps identify the policies that are most effective in protecting these species.

The five species

	Southern resident orcas that inhabit the inland seas of Washington and British Columbia. For much of last century, these orcas were under siege. Now, although the orcas are still in jeopardy, conservation efforts have paid off. [Read more]
	Gray wolves in Idaho and Montana. Wolves were hunted to extinction in the Rockies, but have been reintroduced. They are flourishing and helping to re-balance their native landscapes. [Read more]
	Mountain caribou of the Selkirk Range, a remote region in northeast Washington, northern Idaho, and southern British Columbia. They are the last remaining caribou to visit the continental US and their continued existence hinges on repairing fragmented landscapes. [Read more]
	Greater sage-grouse in Oregon, known for their flamboyant breeding displays, are sensitive to alterations in the vast "sagebrush sea" of the inland Northwest, including ranching, fencing, and invasive species. [Read more]
	Chinook salmon returning as adults to the Bonneville Dam, the lowest dam on the Columbia River. These mighty fish are a proxy for the Northwest's once-prolific salmon runs and for the health of the vast river system that binds Cascadia. [Read more]

If you have a comment about the project, please email researcher Eric de Place, at eric@sightline.org.