Franklin’s ground squirrels (Poliocitellus franklinii) live in parkland habitats in Alberta, preferring habitats with denser shrubs and grass than other ground squirrel species. They have a similar body shape as other ground squirrels, but can be distinguished by their long, bushy tail.
This species’ status is undetermined in Alberta, meaning there is insufficient data to determine its risk of extinction. However, some naturalists are concerned this species may be in decline. In partnership with Nature Alberta, we are gathering more data on this species to help determine whether it is in decline.
This project was started in 2022 by Nature Alberta and the first year was a big success! You can read more about what they found in the first year by reading this article.
You may see us surveying ground squirrels at Provincial Parks and other locations in the province – please say hi and ask about our work! We will post about events and other project updates on our project blog.
You can also find us on social media – check out our Instagram and Facebook pages for updates and photos.
You can help too!
We are working hard to learn more about Franklin’s ground squirrels, but there aren’t many of us so we are limited in where we can collect data. That’s where you come in!
Help us learn more about Franklin’s ground squirrels and other squirrel species in Alberta by submitting your observations to iNaturalist through the links below.
New to citizen science and iNaturalist? Check out Nature Alberta’s guide to getting started with citizen science.
Submit your observations of Franklin’s Ground Squirrels
If you spot Franklin’s ground squirrels, please submit your photos and observations through the iNaturalist project, which you can find through this link.
Do you have older observations that you would like to submit? If you have a photo then you can still submit to iNaturalist through the link above. But if you don’t have a photo, then you can submit your information through Nature Alberta’s website.
Want to get outside and look for Franklin’s ground squirrels? You can start by checking out Protected Areas – check out this list compiled by the Stewards of Alberta’s Protected Areas Association to find a protected area near you.
Submit your observations of other Squirrel Species
If you don’t spot Franklin’s ground squirrels, that’s ok – help with our other projects! You can submit observations of any of the 14 species of squirrels in Alberta through the Squirrels of Alberta iNaturalist project.
You can also help us learn more about thirteen-lined ground squirrels by submitting observations through iNaturalist. This species may also be declining, but we need more data to help us learn more about it.
Acknowledgements
We wish to acknowledge that the land on which we work is Treaty 6 Territory. We deeply appreciate all of the people who have already contributed data to this project. This project is a collaboration between Nature Alberta and Drs. Jessica Haines, Josh Miller, and David McFadyen from the Department of Biological Sciences at MacEwan University.
This project has been approved by the MacEwan University Animal Research Ethics Board following guidelines developed by the Canadian Council on Animal Care. If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch with us.
Dr. Jessica A. Haines 
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