Living with Wildlife: Human impact on wildlife and the role of education in the San Juan Islands, Washington

Abstract

The San Juan Islands of Washington State are a unique habitat for both humans and wildlife. Although they are in close proximity to the urban cities of Seattle and Tacoma, these islands remain relatively rural and have maintained close connections to wildlife. I will be working with Wolf Hollow Rehabilitation Center in Friday Harbor, WA on San Juan Island to evaluate human interactions and attitudes regarding wildlife. Within this study I will examine the major causes of injury and harm to wildlife as well as the differences of actions and attitudes towards terrestrial and marine wildlife. Based on these results, the educational tools employed by Wolf Hollow will be analyzed in order to see if they are effectively targeting certain gaps in human knowledge about wildlife.