Irvine Ranch Conservancy

CAMERAS CAPTURING CANDID
IMAGES OF THE LAND...

The Irvine Ranch Conservancy has numerous cameras strategically placed throughout the wildlands and parks to monitor wildlife and human access on the land. For the most part, wildlife activity patterns are monitored in response to changes in season, water availability, fire impacts and levels of authorized and unauthorized human access.

The cameras are placed throughout the North Ranch and City of Irvine Open Space Preserve. Most are located along trails and others are at access gates and roads to monitor levels of human access, particularly risky behaviors that may be associated with fire ignitions.

"We are getting a benchmark for wildlife activity, as well as the amount and types of human access. We are also constantly on the lookout for activities that may start fires (like motorbikes, fireworks or smoking) or may directly harm wildlife like poaching," says Dr. David Olson, Director of Science & Stewardship, Irvine Ranch Conservancy. "The cameras allow us to monitor levels of access to help us achieve the right balance of public enjoyment and resource protection."

These cameras provide information about the activities and habits of key wildlife species such as bobcats and mountain lions, as well as track their responses to various levels of public access. The data collected from cameras helps make scientifically informed decisions about where to focus public activity as well as areas to avoid for resource management reasons.

The cameras also help monitor and understand seasonal changes in wildlife activity, such as between wet and dry seasons. Memory chips are collected from the cameras by Citizen Science volunteers and the data is downloaded and analyzed.

Data from this project is being shared with other researchers, such as those at the United States Geological Survey to assist with their own studies. The cameras have helped understand the relative abundance of many different wildlife species that are hard to monitor, such as bobcats, golden eagles, coyotes, fox and mountain lions.