Finished! Looks like this project is out of data at the moment!
Thank you for your efforts! This project's classification effort is complete! To browse other active projects that still need your classifications, check out zooniverse.org/projects
Research
Camera Trap Research at Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve
The Stebbins Cold Canyon Natural Reserve is one of five natural reserves managed by the University of California Davis. The reserve lands contain several motion-sensor cameras which capture wildlife in the area both day and night. A single camera can take hundreds of photos in a day, so we need your help to determine which photos contain animals and what types of animals are present!
The University of California Natural Reserve System (NRS)
As part of the NRS's mission to facilitate research in a wildland setting, the Stebbins Camera Trap program forms part of the reserve's Citizen Science initiative to monitor local biodiversity. Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve (SCCR) is unique in that it is only one of a few of the more than 40 reserves in the NRS protected area network that allows public access. Due to its convenient geographic location, spectacular biodiversity and rugged wilderness character, some 65,000 people hike SCCR's nine miles of hiking trail each year. Although the central goal is to categorize imagery based on what wildlife is captured in the photo, the longer term goal will also aim to determine the impacts that hikers may have on local populations of small and large mammals, and camera traps collect information from both high and no-use areas within the reserve.
What we plan to use the data for
Data resulting from this project will be used to determine the frequency and spatial distribution of the species found in the photos, and track changes in animal presence/absence as the landscape recovers from the fires that ravaged the landscape in August of 2020. It will also be examined in conjunction with hiker data that are collected daily on the trails via TrafX trail counters. These data will help to determine which areas in and adjacent to the reserve might need more protection to provide refugia for certain threatened or vulnerable species. High quality photos will also be used for promotional materials and newsletters, public outreach, the development of online curricula, and K-12 education materials.