The Local Volunteers Helping Brevard Zoo Track Florida Wildlife
A new citizen-science project lets volunteers help identify wildlife captured by trail cameras across a Central Florida wildlife-management area.
Brevard Zoo's conservation work now gives residents another way to help Florida wildlife without needing to handle an animal or hike into the woods.
The East Coast Zoological Foundation and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are working together on Florida Wildlife Watch, a citizen-science project built around trail-camera images from the William Beardall Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area.
Cameras collect the pictures; people make them useful
Motion-triggered cameras operate day and night, recording animals that move through the landscape. The volume of images can be enormous, and a photo only becomes useful data once someone identifies what is in it.
Volunteers can help through the Florida Wildlife Watch project on Zooniverse. Participants review images and classify the species they see. That may mean a deer in daylight, a turkey at the edge of the frame or a nocturnal animal that most residents would never encounter in person.
Photo courtesy of Brevard Zoo and the East Coast Zoological Foundation.
Why those identifications matter
The project helps scientists understand which species are using the land and how wildlife communities change over time. Because the cameras remain in place around the clock, they can document animals and behaviors that a short field survey might miss.
It also turns conservation into something people can join from home. You do not need specialized equipment, a science degree or a volunteer shift at the zoo. You need a screen, patience and a willingness to look carefully.
Brevard Zoo also offers other volunteer and conservation opportunities. Current openings and requirements are listed on the zoo's volunteer-program page.
Sources
Stephen Garcia
Stephen covers Brevard's wildlife, parks, science, launches, and aerospace workforce. He is drawn to the people doing technical or conservation work behind the scenes — and to explaining why that work matters close to home.
