Storrs, CT – Join mammal expert Dr. Erin Kuprewicz, from the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, on a guided educational hike to learn the ins and outs of passive mammal monitoring. The community is invited to learn about local Connecticut mammals and how scientists use camera traps to observe the secret lives of these elusive critters. Kuprewicz will guide you through an active forest research site on the UConn Storrs campus, where you will search for signs of mammals (large and small) and learn different mammal observation techniques.

Everyone who attends this field program will have the chance to set up a camera trap (with help and guidance from Dr. Kuprewicz) and take home a handy guide to the best camera traps you can use to monitor wildlife in your own backyard!

Kuprewicz is the Curator/Collections Manager and Engagement Specialist for CSMNH and leads a long-term mammal census project in Storrs studying The Mammals of Rural Connecticut, part of the nationwide project, “Snapshot USA.” Snapshot USA was launched in 2019 to survey terrestrial wildlife populations across the United States and make the data collected freely available to everyone. This project involves over 115 collaborators from every state in the USA and has been running every fall for the past five years!

Camera “trapping” is an effective way to passively observe animals without disturbing their normal behavior patterns. Cameras, mounted on trees or posts in forested areas, neighborhoods, and rural settings, are triggered when the camera senses an animal’s heat or movement in front of the lens. These photographs document the diversity of animals that share the landscapes with humans. Though squirrels are most commonly seen by camera traps in Storrs, other animals like deer, bobcats, coyotes, fishers, and even jumping mice, are captured too.

Hike will take place on Saturday March 23 from 10am-12pm in the forest behind New Storrs Cemetery at UConn Storrs and is recommended for participants aged 8 and up; those 16 and under must be accompanied by a chaperone. This hike will be mostly off trail, going through some areas of dense vegetation and mud (depending on prior rainfall) to view camera trap sites. Appropriate clothing and protective gear (sun/rain/mud) is required! The rain date for this event is Saturday 6 April 2024 from 10am-12pm.

Space for this event is limited and registration is required! Cost is $10 for Museum Members and $15 for non-Members. Visit csmnh.uconn.edu/programs for more information.

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the CSMNH at 860-486-4460 or [email protected] by Monday March 18, 2024.