"GAP TRACKS" PROJECT TO HELP SCIENTISTS ASSESS WILDLIFE USE OF EASTERN TRAIL in the NONESUCH RIVER CORRIDOR
Friends of Scarborough Marsh board member and UNE professor, Dr. Noah Perlut, has launched a new study, GAP Tracks Project, to document the wildlife community along the "GAP" section of the Eastern Trail currently under construction in the Nonesuch River area of the Scarborough Marsh.
"The digital trail cameras, which went online in late February this year, will help scientists evaluate the wildlife community before, during, and after construction of the trail segment," said FOSM president, Stephanie Smith. "We're very pleased to be one of the sponsors of this study, and we're looking forward to seeing the data as the study progresses."
Wildlife cameras have already captured several glimpses of animals in the area, including opossum, gray fox, and turkeys. Videos are posted to FaceBook at FB.me/GapTracks and details about the GAP Tracks project may be found online at blog.une.edu/perlutlab/.
"The digital trail cameras, which went online in late February this year, will help scientists evaluate the wildlife community before, during, and after construction of the trail segment," said FOSM president, Stephanie Smith. "We're very pleased to be one of the sponsors of this study, and we're looking forward to seeing the data as the study progresses."
Wildlife cameras have already captured several glimpses of animals in the area, including opossum, gray fox, and turkeys. Videos are posted to FaceBook at FB.me/GapTracks and details about the GAP Tracks project may be found online at blog.une.edu/perlutlab/.
Students at UNE and Scarborough High School will be working with Dr. Perlut to evaluate the data. Photos will be scored to determine which are the best ones, and students will identify what animals were present and pose questions about wildlife and human use of the trail.
The public is invited to follow the research project online, and encouraged to add comments and questions, too. "It's a wonderful opportunity for people to learn more about this area of the marsh," said Smith, "and the more who tune in to watch what the cameras are seeing, the better."
The Perlut Lab focuses on how human habitat management effects the ecology and evolution of diverse species. "This section being monitored is highly relevant to the ecology of Scarborough Marsh because it includes important headwaters of the Nonesuch River," explains Dr. Perlut, "and its adjacent forest serves as a movement corridor for mammals, amphibians and birds."
This study is jointly funded by the Friends of Scarborough Marsh and the University of New England, in partnership with the Eastern Trail Alliance, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Town of Scarborough.
The public is invited to follow the research project online, and encouraged to add comments and questions, too. "It's a wonderful opportunity for people to learn more about this area of the marsh," said Smith, "and the more who tune in to watch what the cameras are seeing, the better."
The Perlut Lab focuses on how human habitat management effects the ecology and evolution of diverse species. "This section being monitored is highly relevant to the ecology of Scarborough Marsh because it includes important headwaters of the Nonesuch River," explains Dr. Perlut, "and its adjacent forest serves as a movement corridor for mammals, amphibians and birds."
This study is jointly funded by the Friends of Scarborough Marsh and the University of New England, in partnership with the Eastern Trail Alliance, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Town of Scarborough.
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