During a prairie bowl restoration outing this month, members of the Gorge Leadership Team encountered animal rarely seen in the River Gorge: a Rufous, 'red-phase' or erythritic raccoon. Red-phase raccoons' fur can range from a pale yellow to a bright orange color; the raccoon living near the prairie bowl has an orange-reddish coat.
Although red-phase raccoons are fairly rare, this raccoon, we'll call him"Rufous", has been spotted meandering just along the bike trail near the ravine just north of 36th Street & West River Parkway, or just snoozing in the crux of a large tree in the prairie bowl.
Next time you're in the Gorge , make sure to keep an eye out for this fluffy orange fur ball. Maybe you'll spot him on the Oak Savanna Tour on September 10th or the seeding on the 26th?
- Ryan Strand, FMR intern summer 2009
