The Indy Wildlife Watch: An Initiative of the CUES

About the Indy Wildlife Watch Project

The Indy Wildlife Watch is a project that is run by the Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability CUES at Butler University. This project is looking to answer four main research questions regarding the impacts of urbanization on local wildlife:

- What animals are living in our city?

In order to understand how human development is impacting local wildlife, we first have to understand what animals are here! Many of the animals that live in our city avoid human interactions, so we use motion-triggered cameras to track them non-invasively.

- Where and when do they move around the city?

Roads and sidewalks might be convenient for us, but they usually aren't good for the animals. Fragmentation occurs when large habitats are broken down into smaller sections. Without large natural corridors, the separation of habitats makes it hard for some of the animals to live there.

In addition to limiting size and accessibility of wildlife habitats, human activity likely influences animal behavior. Most animals do not want to interact with humans, so increasing development may alter times when and locations where they are active.

- What type of habitat are they using?

You might think that a park would make a great habitat for an animal, but not all green spaces actually make good homes. We want to look at areas like golf courses, cemeteries, and parks that have a variety of human-perceived purposes in order to discover where animals are choosing to spend their time and what habitat features encourage habitation by wildlife.

- What interactions are present?

Once again, urbanization is likely impacting animal behaviors. We want to know how animals are interacting with each other in this new environment. Are predator-prey relationships the same or different than they would be in less human-influenced habitats?

How is the Indy Wildlife Watch Project Addressing These Questions?

In order to better understand the specific impacts of development on local wildlife diversity, the Indy Wildlife Watch has set up motion activated cameras to capture images of mammals in and around the city. There are around 50 sites along two transects that run all the way from downtown Indy to peri-urban surrounding areas. Cameras are attached to trees, and when an animal moves near a it, a photo is taken!

Motion activated camera: This is an example of one of our cameras attached to a tree.

Indy Wildlife Watch Transects: Transects run along the White River and the Monon Trail.

This system is a simple and non-invasive way to address our research questions, but it means that there are an enormous amount of photos that need to be tagged. This presents an incredible opportunity to invite the community to join in on our research. You don't need a background in science to help us better understand the wildlife in Indy. Our researchers need YOUR help to tag photos!