This month we are continuing to share some results from an analysis of the elk photos from the Clam Lake elk herd. Please refer to last month's issue for further discussion of the Clam Lake elk herd.
We
summarized photo hit rate corrected for the number of cameras that were active
during 2016 for bulls, antlerless elk, and calves. The image below shows a graph of bull elk activity through the year. There is a strong spike in bull elk activity starting at about week 36 which peaks at week 40. This spike correlates to the annual rut period for the elk. The cameras give us the ability to pinpoint the time frame of the rut period much more accurately than we were able to do prior to using the trail cameras.
The next graph shows the activity of antlerless elk throughout 2016. It indicates a sharp drop off in activity level for the cow elk during the rut period which we wouldn't have expected prior to having the trail camera data. It appears that the cows may be hiding out from the bulls during the rut period!
The final graph shows the activity level of the calves throughout 2016. Similar to the daily activity pattern we shared last month seasonal calf activity closely follows cow activity.
This month we are sharing a volunteer profile from one of our first private trail camera host volunteers, Tom Dew. Tom has two survey blocks in Sawyer County, the fisher photo below is from one of his cameras last October. The bear photo in this month's Spotlight Photo of the Month is from his other camera location last July. Tom is an enthusiastic advocate for natural resource protection and believes that the greatest responsibility of sportsmen and women is to ensure that future generations have the same outdoor opportunities that we currently enjoy. He is also a wonderful story teller, when asked about his motivations for participating in Snapshot Wisconsin he shares stories about growing up in the south, exploring the woods finding turtles, putting snakes in his pockets and bringing home tadpoles to grow in the bathtub (to the consternation of his mother!). When his children were young he remembers the look upon their faces when they saw a bear in the north woods of Wisconsin for the first time. He also credits the Wisconsin Coverts Project for giving him the "bug" to work to create a better environment for wildlife. He is also a member of the Boone and Crockett Club, and the Ruffed Grouse Society.
Tom truly believes in giving back, he cares deeply for nature and works to protect it. As a member of the Boone and Crockett Club he works with other conservationists across the country on policy, education and issues related to access to public lands. He believes this work is important to train future wildlife leaders to be science based in their decision making which he states is needed to ensure the future of conservation. He and his wife also personally contribute to this effort, they have created scholarship funds at UW-Stevens Point, UW-Madison and the University of Georgia (Tom's alma mater) in memory of their son who died as a teenager. These scholarships provide funding for lab fees, books and more for students in wildlife or forestry related programs.
Thank you Tom for being such a great supporter of conservation and for your participation in our project!
Twin Cities area volunteers have an opportunity on May 19th to meet the Snapshot Wisconsin team when we will be tabling at the Night in the Cloud event at the St Paul River Centre from 5-7PM. This is also a great opportunity to learn more about other citizen science projects. This is a free event that is open to the public. The event will also include a screening of the program "Crowd and the Cloud". More details about the event can be found here. We hope to see you there! |
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We have a busy month coming up for May! We will be traveling to St. Croix, Marinette and Oneida Counties to hold our first in person training sessions for accepted Snapshot Wisconsin volunteers. If you live in one of these counties and are interested in participating please visit our signup webpage and apply!
If you have already applied and haven't received an email from us please check your junk or spam folder and then send an email to DNRSnapshotWisconsin@wisconsin.gov to get an update on your application status.
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Season 5 of Snapshot Wisconsin on Zooniverse launched on April 18th! Go there to help classify the newest batch of photos from our Snapshot Wisconsin cameras. Don't forget to stop by the talk boards to interact with other volunteers and the research team. |
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We have had a couple of great news articles in the past month about our project. During the month of April we have had 88 new signups! Thanks to everyone helping to spread the word about Snapshot Wisconsin!
Star Journal: DNR recruiting area volunteers for Snapshot Wisconsin
My Gateway News: Snapshot Wisconsin: St. Croix County
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We will share one awesome animal photo each month. To enter one of your favorites from a Snapshot Wisconsin camera please send the image as a jpeg attachment with the animal classification, county location and date taken along with the reason why you love the image to DNRSnapshotWisconsin@wisconsin.gov.
This month's image is from Tom Dew's other Snapshot Wisconsin camera in Sawyer County. For those of you who are paying attention you may recognize this site from a couple of months ago when we shared a bobcat among the milkweeds as our Spotlight Photo of the Month. Thanks again Tom for setting up your camera in such a great spot!
Contact Information for Snapshot Wisconsin
Phone: 608-572-6103
Participate on Zooniverse: www.SnapshotWisconsin.org
Find out more details on our webpage:
dnr.wi.gov Keyword "Snapshot Wisconsin
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