The Living Snow Project’s goal is to engage the outdoor recreation community in research that is characterizing the biodiversity of pink snow and its impact on snowmelt dynamics.
By empowering people of all ages to participate in science in the places they love to play, we help cultivate a deeper awareness of our living planet and a greater appreciation for the conservation of threatened ecosystems.
Snow algae blooms, while natural, also cause harm to our alpine environments by increasing the rate of snowpack and glacier melt. The triggers for snow algae blooms are not well understood and we do not have historical records of blooms of algae in any mountain range. The Living Snow Project will provide baseline data of blooms and species distributions that will allow scientists to study the correlation of blooms with atmospheric conditions and climate change while tracking changes over time. Many groups are studying snow algae around the globe, but The Living Snow project continues to build the largest database of snow algae blooms in the world thanks to the help of backcountry enthusiasts.
Anyone who is visiting an alpine region in the US can participate in our research (we also welcome volunteers from our Canadian neighbors).
Our Team
The Living Snow Project is run by student volunteers and recent graduates of Western Washington University. We have had a rotating cast of characters over the years and welcome folks who are eager to get involved in our work. Please email us if you are interested in joining our team!
Robin has been the director for LSP since she came up with the idea while skiing about 10 years ago. She is a Professor of Environmental Science at WWU and has spent years mentoring students and dreaming big about what can be done with the data collected by LSP volunteers. In Robin’s spare time she looks for snow algae in far-flung places, goes sailing, and plays with her dog (and LSP mascot), Harvey.
Clare is from Fairbanks, AK and has worked for LSP since she was a sophomore at WWU. She graduated in 2023 with a degree in Marine Biology and a degree in Studio Art. Clare has managed the logistics and communications of this program for several years, and she loves to interact with volunteers and experience their enthusiasm for the project. In her spare time she rides bikes, bakes, and travels.
Honu has been a member of the LSP team since fall of 2021, after moving from sunny Oahu and trading swimsuits for ski poles. In 2024 she graduated from WWU with a degree in Biology, where she continues to work as a lab technician. Processing algae from all across the country keeps Honu’s life exciting and she’s always eager to see what the next sample might hold. In her spare time she watches sci fi movies and goes to rock concerts.
Funding and Support
This project has been funded, in part, by Western Washington University grants from The Whatcom Foundation, NASA Nevada EPSCoR (to collaborators at DRI to jumpstart Living Snow in the Sierras), the Mazamas, the American Alpine Club (to R. Mallon), the National Science Foundation through related grants (to R. Kodner), and many generous donations through Western Washington University’s crowdfunding opportunities.
We have an incredible community of Living Snow partners that help make our sampling kits available to volunteers across the US. These partners include:
- Backcountry Essentials, Bellingham, WA
- Patagonia Seattle
- Patagonia Portland
- Patagonia Bend
- Patagonia Reno
- Patagonia Denver
- Patagonia Boulder
- Tahoe Mountain Sports, Truckee, CA
- Alpenglow Sports, Tahoe City, CA
- Riverfront Rock Gym, Wenatchee, WA
- Patagonia Vancouver, BC, Canada
If you or your business are interested in helping us expand our reach to a new group of snow algae enthusiasts, send us an email!