Betsy Gaither

North Carolina partakes in the eMammal citizen science initiative that utilizes volunteers to set up camera traps in local areas to assess the density of mammals in the region (“EMammal,” n.d). The eMammal project connects citizen scientists to researchers of North Carolina State University and the Smithsonian Institute (“EMammal,” n.d). Citizen science projects are advantageous to conservation, because it allows for larger data collections and conservation efforts to be made on a much larger scale (Bolen, 2012). The volunteers across North Carolina (and beyond) are able to collect data and store it in an electronic database, which helps organize the multitude of data. The use of citizen science promotes collaboration and connectivity between volunteers and expert researchers. The use of citizen science helps save money and time for researchers (Tulloch, Possingham, Joseph, Szabo, and Martin, n.d).  

The Appalachian Trail is one of the largest corridors in the United States; connecting different habitats and species (“Camera Traps,” 2012). In 2007 to 2009, a large citizen science project took place along the Appalachian Trail in order to assess how humans affect wildlife along the corridor (hiking, camping, etc.). The project was led by skilled researcher, McShea, and conservationist leader of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Laura Belleville (“Camera Traps,” 2012). The citizen science initiative included fifty volunteers with over 447 camera trapping sites, which led to a multitude of data along the corridor – but only recording the captures of mammals. The data collected helped support the location of different mammals along the trail, but more research is currently underway (“Camera Traps,” 2012).