Six captive-bred Vancouver Island marmots looked out of their boxes on Mount Washington and took their first steps to a life in the wild last week. …Big hopes ride on the tiny backs of young marmots as researchers try to rebuild the fragile population of one of the world’s most endangered mammals. …The timid rodents face an uphill battle for survival amid food shortages, the swings of climate change and predators. …The yearlings are the first of what will be a near record release of about 60 marmots from now until mid-July, said Taylor. …The recovery effort was initiated in 1997 by a group of partners including the Marmot Recovery Foundation, the province of B.C., the Toronto Zoo, Calgary Zoo, Mount Washington Alpine Resort and timber companies like Mosaic Forest Management.