Outdoor Learning: Snapshot attends MOHEE
On May 10th, Snapshot attended the Midwest Outdoor Heritage Education Expo (MOHEE) at Havenwoods State Forest, Milwaukee! This was one of two large events hosted by the Outdoor Heritage Education Center (OHEC) this May, aiming to connect youth to outdoor skills and recreation.
31 organizations, ranging from DNR Fire Control to Ducks Unlimited and the Zoological Society of Milwaukee, came together to host activities, tables, and demonstrations for over 700 students from surrounding communities.
Snapshot Wisconsin’s table featured photos from Havenwoods’ very own Snapshot camera and challenged visitors to test their skills of observation. All were interested to see what creatures inhabit the property, such as opossums and coyotes, not even 15 minutes from multiple busy interstate highways. Snapshot staff brought a Wildlife Identification Board where students could test their identification knowledge by matching Snapshot photos to species. Additionally, a “Nature Bingo” scavenger hunt sent students into the nearby grove of trees to scout for items such as a trail camera deployed in a bear box, fungi, tree seeds, and birds! For many, it was their first time seeing a trail camera.
MOHEE is a fantastic free field trip opportunity. Traditionally hosted at the Mackenzie Center in Poynette, this year saw the first expansion to Milwaukee. Transportation funding and all-terrain wheelchairs are made available to those who need it. Learn more at https://www.outdoorheritageeducationcenter.com/mohee-youth-expo.
Interested in incorporating Snapshot Wisconsin into your classroom? Learn more and find activities here.
Snapshot Wisconsin Publication List
With the help of dedicated volunteers, the Snapshot Wisconsin project collects millions of statewide trail camera images that are transformed into usable data. Over the years, this data has been used for wildlife research and wildlife decision support by DNR scientists and collaborators at universities, which has been shared through publications.
Publications are a way for research scientists to share their findings and to ensure integrity in the scientific community. As the list of Snapshot contributed publications continue to grow, the Snapshot Wisconsin team would like to share them with you!
The Snapshot Publication webpage is now available for anyone to view! Publications are organized by topic, with research ranging from the temporal and spatial behavior of deer to predator-prey relationships. Key findings from each research project have been provided below each publication.
The valuable information gathered from these research projects will help further our understanding of our local wildlife and support wildlife management decisions. With the massive Snapshot Wisconsin dataset continuing to support wildlife research, the webpage will be periodically updated as publications are released!
Note: Not all publications are available to the public. Key findings can always be found below each publication listed on the Snapshot webpage.
April #SuperSnap
The April #SuperSnap goes to this red-tailed hawk flying by a Snapshot Wisconsin camera located in Marathon County! Red-tailed hawks can often be seen soaring in wide circles around fields, with their eyes fixed on the ground. When prey is spotted, they will attack with a slow, controlled dive and their legs outstretched. The red-tailed hawk is widespread and common in North America. They can utilize any kind of terrain that provides both an open area for hunting and some high perches, such as woodlands with scattered clearings, open grasslands, or desert areas with a few trees or utility poles.
A huge thanks to Zooniverse participant @oregano for this #SuperSnap nomination.
Continue classifying photos on Zooniverse and sharing your favorites with #SuperSnap – your submission might just be next month’s featured photo! Check out all the nominations by searching “#SuperSnap” on the Snapshot Wisconsin Talk boards.
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March #SuperSnap
The March #SuperSnap goes to this flock of turkeys spotted in Marinette County! During late winter, turkeys will eat a lot to store up food reserves before their upcoming breeding season. It’s important for the female turkey, or hens, to eat snails and other sources of calcium and minerals to help them produce eggs. Both male and female turkeys are opportunistic feeders and will eat whatever insects, small animals, or plant materials are available throughout the year. Turkeys forage mostly by walking around and scratching at leaf litter to expose potential food items, primarily in the mornings and evenings.
A huge thanks to Zooniverse participant @Pjpotter14 for this #SuperSnap nomination.
Continue classifying photos on Zooniverse and sharing your favorites with #SuperSnap – your submission might just be next month’s featured photo! Check out all the nominations by searching “#SuperSnap” on the Snapshot Wisconsin Talk boards.
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Looking for more community science opportunities? Improve forecasts by becoming a volunteer weather observer!
Join volunteers across the U.S., Canada, and the Bahamas who report precipitation online to ensure measurements of snow, rain and hail are available for your area.
This March, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) is recruiting volunteer weather observers as part of their “March Madness” campaign, a nationwide competition to see which state can recruit the most volunteers.
All you need to do is sign up, attend a free online training course, grab a high-quality rain gauge, and you’re ready to start measuring precipitation in your backyard.
The data you provide will help improve weather forecasting models, forecasts of river stages and flood levels on local waterways, and will inform National Weather Service thunderstorm and flash flood warnings. For more information on CoCoRaHS, contact kevin.erb@wisc.edu.
Interested in exploring additional community science opportunities? Just around the corner is Citizen Science Month, April 2023. Find other ways to get involved with locally driven or online science projects on the SciStarter Event Page. Who knows what you’ll discover!
February #SuperSnap
February #SuperSnap goes to these white-tailed deer fawns spotted in Columbia County! A female deer, also known as a doe, will give birth to her young in May or June and will typically only have 1 fawn the first year of mating. In subsequent years, she will likely give birth to 2 fawns, and in rare occasions up to 3 or 4! White-tailed deer have special adaptations and behaviors to help the young survive from predators. For instance, the young have a reddish-brown coat color with small white spots, which helps them blend in with forested areas. Additionally, the doe will only visit their young 3-4 times a day to avoid leading predators to their location!
A huge thanks to Zooniverse participant @charleysangel for this #SuperSnap nomination.
Continue classifying photos on Zooniverse and sharing your favorites with #SuperSnap – your submission might just be next month’s featured photo! Check out all the nominations by searching “#SuperSnap” on the Snapshot Wisconsin Talk boards.
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January #SuperSnap
The January #SuperSnap goes to this beaver spotted in Ashland County by a Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera! Beaver, the largest rodent in North America, have unique features that help them conduct their favorite activity. Gnawing on sticks, of course! Their large, round tail helps with balance on land, and they will use their tiny front feet to carry and hold sticks. In the fall, they will often begin to prepare food caches of their favorite woody items. If the area is relatively free of predators, the beavers will take their supplies a farther distance from the water to gnaw the pieces into shorter lengths. Afterwards, they will begin carrying the pieces back to their underwater storage area for easy access during the winter!
A huge thanks to Zooniverse participant @cjpope for this #SuperSnap nomination.
Continue classifying photos on Zooniverse and sharing your favorites with #SuperSnap – your submission might just be next month’s featured photo! Check out all the nominations by searching “#SuperSnap” on the Snapshot Wisconsin Talk boards.
Sources:
December #SuperSnap
The December #SuperSnap goes to this raccoon and her four kits captured in Jackson County! Four kits are an average litter size for raccoons, and they are typically born in April or May. Kits are born helpless with their eyes closed, and they only weigh a few ounces. By late summer, the raccoon young are much more independent, but they will stay close to their mother throughout their first winter. When a new litter is expected the following spring, the previous years kits are ready to move out on their own!
A huge thanks to Zooniverse participant @momsabina for this #SuperSnap nomination.
Continue classifying photos on Zooniverse and sharing your favorites with #SuperSnap – your submission might just be next month’s featured photo! Check out all the nominations by searching “#SuperSnap” on the Snapshot Wisconsin Talk boards.
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November #SuperSnap
The November #SuperSnap goes to the couple of otters captured by a Snapshot Wisconsin camera in Vilas County. Otters are semi-aquatic and have many features that make them excellent swimmers, such as their webbed feet, narrow body and strong tail that helps them propel through the water! They can stay underwater for up to 8 minutes and are able to do so by closing their nostrils to keep water out during these longer dives. They can detect prey in dark or cloudy water with their long whiskers, then use their clawed feet to latch on to their favorite food items, such as bass or sunfish!
A huge thanks to Zooniverse participant @bzeise for this #SuperSnap nomination.
Continue classifying photos on Zooniverse and sharing your favorites with #SuperSnap – your submission might just be next month’s featured photo! Check out all the nominations by searching “#SuperSnap” on the Snapshot Wisconsin Talk boards.
Sources:
https://www.eekwi.org/animals/mammals/river-otter
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/north-american-river-otter
October #SuperSnap
The October #SuperSnap goes to this porcupine that made a point to be captured by a Snapshot Wisconsin camera in Marinette County! Porcupines have as many as 30,000 quills on all parts of its body, except the stomach. Unlike the common misconception that porcupines can shoot the quills at predators, they swing their barbed-quill tails as defense which can cause their quills to become embedded in their predators. Porcupines are not an aggressive animal, but they will use this unique defense when threatened, especially from their main predator, the fisher!
A huge thanks to Zooniverse participant @AUK for this #SuperSnap nomination.
Continue classifying photos on Zooniverse and sharing your favorites with #SuperSnap – your submission might just be next month’s featured photo! Check out all the nominations by searching “#SuperSnap” on the Snapshot Wisconsin Talk boards.
Sources:
Snapshot Wisconsin 