In today’s fast-paced world it can be tough to take the time to get out and explore as much as we’d like -even the most active nature enthusiasts among us probably don’t get the hours in the field that we truly crave (the real question is, can you ever really get enough good time outside?) The reality is that none of us actually have the schedule to be able to observe and know a single, beautiful place 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Luckily, technology can give us a hand in this department, especially in the world of wildlife observation. TSS now has three wildlife cameras located around the Jackson Hole Valley, and when we can’t be there to see the wildlife, the cameras record it for us. The motion-triggered devices have captured amazing sights – bears, moose, deer, and fox near Ditch Creek, a curious coyote at the CRC, and even wolves venturing through the back of Coyote Canyon!
The cameras are a valuable tool not only for satiating our curiosity about our wild neighbors, but they also provide a great educational tool for TSS students and staff. On a recent night hike, a group of students from St. Louis, Missouri followed several sets of large tracks to a spot where the crust of the snow had been dug away, leaving debris and signs of a scuffle between rodent and canine. Students took measurements of the tracks and made great field observations – but were still in heated debate about the exact species of the animal tracks in question. The wildlife cameras – and the images they capture – are a great way for students to expand upon their own observations in the field to answer questions about the story of the land.
