Recreation Effects on Wildlife Project

This project's goal was to investigate hunting (consumptive) and hiking (nonconsumptive) recreational effects on wildlife throughout the mid-Atlantic region. The Smithsonian and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences trained volunteer citizen scientists to use, Reconyx© Hyperfire PC 800 and Bushnell Trophy Cam HD, motion and heat activated cameras to deploy a set of 3 cameras along trail systems on public lands. Within each set of 3 cameras, one camera was deployed on a human trail, one camera was 50 meters from the trail, and the last camera was 200 meters from the trail (100 meters in some urban parks). In addition, natural areas were selected in pairs of hunted and un-hunted lands. The project started in August 2012 and ended in December 2013 and surveyed public lands in 6 states and 32 public lands.