Eyes on Wildlife

Eyes on Wildlife provides the opportunity for middle and high school classes in Virginia to conduct research using camera trap technology.  Students and teachers can explore Virginia’s native mammal diversity, analyze data, look for animal activity patterns in their local area and contribute to the eMammal database.

Under teacher supervision, students deploy camera traps and learn to identify native wildlife species. Teachers supervise all camera trap activities and must attend a mandatory six hour training.

Thanks to support from the Smithsonian's Youth Access Grant program, Friends of the National Zoo and private donations, Eyes on Wildlife is available at no cost to middle and high schools in the following Virginia counties: Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren. 

Not from these counties? Visit Smithsonian’s eMammal to explore camera trap data, view images, download lesson plans and more!

Learn more about the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s camera trapping efforts:

• Restoring America's Prairie
• Heights Unseen: The Hidden World of Tropical Rainforests
• Taking a Swing at Connecting Habitat with Treetop Bridges
• Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Scientists Find Andean Bears Using Camera Traps in Peru
• Citizen Scientists Help Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Track Cats and Coyotes
• Camera Traps Reveal a Closer Look at Arboreal Animals
• Infrastructure Supporting National Parks May Provide Poachers Easier Access to Wildlife
• SCBI Scientists Find That Humans Alter Animal Distribution on the Appalachian Trail
• Candid Cameras Give a Chance to See Wildlife as a Scientist Does