Remote cameras are great – when they work, the batteries don’t run out… and you remembered to turn them on! You also may want to avoid thousands of pictures of grass waving in the wind or blurry photos of critters that you can’t decipher reliably. Where, how, and when you set cameras up, how often you service them, and who you engage to help can influence the quality of your data.

In Part 2 of our remote camera workshop, you can learn from the best. Learn the tips and tricks of the trade and get the best data you can. This workshop is designed to compliment Remote Cameras part 1 where we discuss sampling design and strategy. Come to one or both as you need.

This workshop is being held in person! Here’s the details:

Location: Canmore Nordic Centre

Things to bring:

• Layers of clothing – we will be inside for part of the morning and then outside playing with cameras. Dress for spring weather in the Alberta Rocky Mountains.
• Hiking boots – we will be walking through hilly, forested terrain on human use and wildlife trails.
• Snacks and a water bottle – food will not be provided.
• Your camera data – there may be an opportunity to look at your specific data when we come back inside. Bring it and we can look at it together.

Canmore is a great community located one hour west of Calgary. There are many things to do, so you may wish to make a weekend out of it. We’ve planned to be done by noon on Saturday so you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the Rockies by foot, bike, or boat!

Accommodation in Canmore is abundant and there is something for everyone. Canmore has two great hostels, many hotels, and several AirBnB’s. Check out all your options for the best deal.

We don’t want ticket prices or accommodations to be a barrier to your attendance. If you’re concerned about workshop costs, contact us to find solutions. We are willing to help arrange carpooling. Let us know if you need a ride or have extra space in your vehicle.

Tickets are $60 for non-members; $45 for members; $30 for students.

Speakers

John Paczkowski, M.Sc.

President, ACTWS

I am a biologist working with Alberta Environment and Parks in the Kananaskis Region. I live and work in Canmore. We currently maintain a stable of over 200 cameras systematically spread across the landscape. Cameras are used to monitor wildlife species abundance and distribution as well as wildlife corridor function. The Kananaskis program is mostly maintained by a small army of dedicated and well trained volunteers and student interns. In addition to long term camera monitoring sites we have used lured camera sites to monitor multiple species ranging from grizzly bears to bobcats.  The cameras are also used in conjunction with trail counters to track human use and interactions with wildlife. I am excited to join in large scale collaborations to look at landscape level wildlife questions. I look forward to meeting you at the workshop!

Stephan Boraks

Stephan Boraks loves to dive into the technical details of wildlife cameras to explore their strengths and limitations. He worked with wildlife cameras traps as a field technician with the ABMI for three years. He ran a small business which deployed and maintained wildlife camera grids for universities and government agencies. He led teams of volunteers in camera deployment and servicing for Alberta Parks for three years. For the past two years he has been working for Parks Canada as the project coordinator for a camera project that monitors mammal occupancy across our mountain parks. His favorite camera trap detections are those that reveal unexpected animal behavior, such as river otters using a rub tree.