Federal protection sought for Olympic Peninsula marmots John Ryan October 31, 2025 / 8:12 am

Environmentalists are suing the Trump administration to protect an animal found only on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula.

The Olympic marmot lives in mountain meadows of Olympic National Park.

A warming climate is reducing the marmots’ habitat and making it easier for hungry coyotes to prey upon the rare rodents.

The nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in May 2004 to protect the housecat-sized rodent, known for its loud whistle, under the Endangered Species Act.

The agency is required to issue an initial determination on such petitions within 90 days. Within one year, it is required to make a final determination whether the species

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