Cameras for Conservation Collective (C4CC) Pilot Study

YERC and its partners Laura Huggins, Elevate Environmental Solutions, and Dr. Kyran Kunkel of Conservation Science Collaborative, have launched the Cameras for Conservation Collective project (C4CC) in Park County with a major pilot project this spring and summer. This project is based off of other successful models and long-term research and monitoring with camera traps by YERC since 1993. This WildNET community science project will provide community awareness, critical insights, and outreach surrounding wildlife to Park County residents and collaborating organizations. 

The pilot study is planned to run this summer with an initial group of partnering landowners in Paradise Valley as well as a WildNET web application to share information in near real-time. This application will host information confidentially for landowners to access and also provide broader insights for the public. We specifically designed C4CC to work in a complementary manner with other camera types, programs, and organizations to test and learn what will work best. 

This pilot study sets the stage for C4CC’s broader goal to incentivize landowners across Paradise Valley and Yellowstone’ Northern Range to conserve habitat and wildlife through direct payments for wildlife images. 


Interested in learning more or collaborating? Read on below and reach out to laura@elevateenvironmental.net. 

Long-term viability of ranchers and private landowners living with wildlife in critical ecological landscapes such as Paradise Valley are threatened by development and wildlife conflicts. With population growth comes development and habitat fragmentation. At the same time, landowners are asked to provide habitat for public wildlife without incentives. Our team proposes an innovative community-based solution using cameras of all types that incentivizes landowners for wildlife conservation and collects data needed to make more informed management decisions. And we strongly encourage landowners and practitioners to use and maintain cameras of any kind on their land.

Why Cameras?: 

One highly successful type of camera designed for wildlife originally by the hunting community is called a ‘camera trap’. Such a simple and low-cost device that takes a photo whenever an animal triggers a motion sensor is playing an increasingly important role in wildlife management. Beyond benefiting science, camera systems are enabling conservation organizations to directly reward private landowners for hosting and coexisting with wildlife such as wolves or elk on their land.

By providing incentives, including direct payments per image of a live animal (or per herd), wildlife that are often seen as a liability to ranchers are becoming an asset. Such imagery also empower landowners with more information on their property and directly engage citizens, students, and communities in wildlife, ranching, conservation, and science. 

Data Matters: 

Enough cameras and camera types over a large landscape like the Upper Yellowstone Watershed creates a matrix of sensors to assess how, and what, wildlife is actually doing. They provide vital information on presence, movement, population trends, foraging behavior, diseased and problem animal identification, and, possibly most important, their response to habitat conditions and other impacts (e.g. road crossing), especially when combined with ground validation.

Consider weather forecasting -- people have attempted to predict the weather for millennia, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that enough sensors were placed to collect quantitative data and make accurate projections. Today, citizen groups, such as Weather Underground, collect the local data needed to guide one's outdoor plans. Like weather, the future of wildlife management is personal, hyperlocal, and smarter than one might think.

A network of camera sensors means more trusted data. More trusted data means better forecasts and all parties, no matter the perspective on wildlife, can benefit from more informed decision-making.

Our team is focused on launching and coordinating a regional camera-trap community network in The Paradise Valley. The success of this network will depend on a sustainable adopt-a-camera funding program and building effective community collaboration among ranchers, local organizations, researchers and practitioners. Be one of the first to join our effort and be on the lookout for our WildNET camera web app this summer!

Phase 1 - Pilot Study Goals

Collect additional seed funding to install and manage camera images from 12 test sites including building a secure web app on an existing data-sharing platform where pictures are screened and then automatically identified with artificial intelligence and posted so that the "community" can proof the results and see what this end-to-end system is capable of.

Phase 2 - Capacity Building

We plan to connect donors to individual cameras via our Adopt-a-Camera Program. This sponsorship program will pave the way to create a fund that can compensate ranchers for hosting public wildlife on their land by offering a predetermined payment per image of a given species. And there are additional benefits that living with wildlife can provide such as alternative sources of income and ecosystem services provided by species like beaver, small mammals, and even carnivores.

Phase 3 - C4CC for Coexistence

The camera trap cooperative and the adopt-a-camera funding model set the stage for a full WildNET Program that strives to develop, test, and implement coexistence tools and strategies to create positive outcomes for both humans and wildlife. There are many coexistence practices and tools that need to be further tested and developed so that there are triple wins. Wins for landowners, wins for wildlife, and wins for society.

Learn more about this model:  Huggins et. al 2021: “Cameras for Conservation: Direct Compensation as Motivation for Living with Wildlife”