Northwest Ecosystem Survey Team Support Network (NEST)

NEST is an all-volunteer group of self-organizing, tree-climbing humans. Each summer, NEST volunteers take on a role as canopy surveyors, who utilize the Northwest Forest Plan’s “Survey and Manage” laws to protect ancient forests threatened by logging.NEST formed out of the Fall Creek tree-sit in 1999, when several observant forest defenders noticed USFS surveyors walking transect lines and climbing trees. These contact surveyors were seeking the treetop nests of red tree voles. Unfortunately, agencies like the USFS and BLM use a very abstract survey protocol, which does not fully account for tree vole habitat. It is not ideal for finding nests in all situations, so NEST volunteer surveyors developed their own protocol in order to more accurately document red tree vole populations.