Ground squirrel: Invasive species or native to island?

Ground squirrel parka made by Susan Malutin and Grace Harrod, 1999. (Photo courtesy the Alutiiq Museum)An archaeologist is studying the ancient ground squirrel on Chirikof Island and trying to figure out when the squirrel would have been introduced to the area and how.
Catherine West is a research assistant professor at Boston University and has been coming to do archaeology in the Kodiak area since the early 2000’s. She said this project is the first one she’s directed, and she rece