Polk County Conservation

Polk County Conservation is working in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, IA DNR, and the City of Des Moines to collect data for the Urban Wildlife Information Network. A primary goal of the Urban Wildlife Information Network (based out of the Lincoln Park Zoo) is to gather and share data so that partners can quantify differences in the composition of urban wildlife communities both within and among cities. This study utilizes 25 trail camera traps placed along a linear transect to document wildlife sightings within various cities across the United States. Volunteers are assigned folders of images captured by the camera traps and are asked to go through each photo and to tag any animals they can locate within each image. The online photo library utilizes a Google library, and a Google email will be required to participate. This volunteer activity can be done from anywhere with a secure internet connection. Volunteers interested in this position will be asked to review information and training prior to participating in the UWIN camera study.