About

The North American Pika Consortium (NAPC) is an organization of researchers, educators, and professionals  primarily interested in North American pikas (Ochotona princeps and O. collaris); however the scope of our collective work also often extends to Asian pika species. Our efforts focus on understanding pika ecology through research, monitoring, outreach, and collaboration. 

Mission Statement

NAPC functions as an open community to facilitate communication, engagement, and collaboration around pika-related efforts. We organize conferences to share advances in research, management, and conservation, and we are structured into several working groups focused on specific thematic areas of pika biology and conservation. Conferences alternate between in-person and virtual formats to optimize accessibility while also maintaining connections with professional society members at large. Finally, we manage this website to centralize working group records, facilitate data sharing, and enable collaboration among researchers, educators, and other practitioners interested in North American pikas.

History

The North American Pika Consortium (NAPC) was formed in 2010 as part of the 1st North American Pika Conference, hosted by Teton Science Schools in Jackson, Wyoming. Since then, we have held in-person and/or virtual conferences to facilitate communication and collaboration among members  every 2-3 years. Reports for each of our past conferences are available here: Conferences 

Almost 15 years after its founding, members convened in Boulder, CO at the 6th meeting of NAPC to discuss the purpose, organizational structure, and strategy for sustaining NAPC into the future. The membership decided to move forward with a more formalized leadership structure to facilitate greater collaboration and communication among members throughout the year. In addition, this leadership team was expected to help plan both virtual and in-person meetings for the broader NAPC community. Nominations were solicited for individuals to fill 3 leadership roles: Present Chair, Future Chair, and Past Chair. In late 2024, votes were collected anonymously for those that had accepted the nomination, with official duties for elected individuals commencing in January 2025. 

Leadership Structure

Today, the NAPC is governed by a 3-person board composed of the Present, Past, and Future “chair-persons”. The current board was elected to begin terms in January 2025. The incoming “Future Chair” will then be elected by the NAPC membership in 2026 for a 2-year term, beginning September 1st. Each member of the board has specific responsibilities, as described here: Leadership Team