Get Involved
Embrace the spirit of discovery! We invite you to be a part of two of our research projects, where your curiosity becomes a powerful force in unraveling the secrets of beaver-y ecosystems.
CRITTER CROSSING
Join us on a photo safari in the forests of Canada to document seasonal use of beaver dams as travel corridors for wildlife!
Canada’s national mammal, the beaver, were almost wiped out during the fur trade era (early 17th to the mid-19th centuries) but have rebounded significantly in many of the forests across Canada. As natural landscape engineers, beavers build dams to regulate the flow of water on wetlands, lakes and rivers to facilitate their own life needs (foraging and lodge building). These dams also serve as natural travel corridors used by other wildlife. Our project is one of the first in the world to use camera traps to document seasonal wildlife use of beaver dams. Your help in identifying wildlife as they travel across, forage near, or relax on beaver dams is greatly appreciated.
Critter Crossing will be a Zooniverse project, launching spring 2024! Check back then for a link to contribute to the project.
Canada’s national mammal, the beaver, were almost wiped out during the fur trade era (early 17th to the mid-19th centuries) but have rebounded significantly in many of the forests across Canada. As natural landscape engineers, beavers build dams to regulate the flow of water on wetlands, lakes and rivers to facilitate their own life needs (foraging and lodge building). These dams also serve as natural travel corridors used by other wildlife. Our project is one of the first in the world to use camera traps to document seasonal wildlife use of beaver dams. Your help in identifying wildlife as they travel across, forage near, or relax on beaver dams is greatly appreciated.
Critter Crossing will be a Zooniverse project, launching spring 2024! Check back then for a link to contribute to the project.
CASTOR TRACKER
Castor Tracker is a community science project with the goal of learning more about how beavers alter their environment.
Castor Tracker photo stations will be located in Kananaskis Country and Beaver Hills, Alberta. By gathering smartphone photos throughout the year (taken by people like you!) we'll be able to track changes in the beaver dam and water level. These data will be the starting point for a system that helps to handle conflicts between humans and beavers as they come up in an effective and sustainable way.
This project launches spring 2024. Stay tuned for a list of locations to snap a pic and visit the project website!
Castor Tracker photo stations will be located in Kananaskis Country and Beaver Hills, Alberta. By gathering smartphone photos throughout the year (taken by people like you!) we'll be able to track changes in the beaver dam and water level. These data will be the starting point for a system that helps to handle conflicts between humans and beavers as they come up in an effective and sustainable way.
This project launches spring 2024. Stay tuned for a list of locations to snap a pic and visit the project website!