Wildlife Management
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has conducted wildlife management and monitoring at Masonville Cove since 2013. Since then, USFWS has developed a wildlife management plan that is updated every 5 years based on data gathered, partnership priorities, and public interest.
Here are some of the current activities done each year at Masonville Cove:
Bald Eagle Monitoring
From December to July we assist partners with monitoring the bald eagle pair that nests at Masonville and provide recommendations for protecting the eagles during nesting season.
Trail Camera Surveys
Each year a series of trail cameras (also known as camera traps) are deployed around campus to determine what mammal species are present on campus and to estimate their population size.
Deer Surveys
Each year a driving survey is conducted for several nights to estimate the deer population. An infrared camera and red-light spotlight are used to observe deer.
Monarchs
Every summer, milkweed patches are surveyed to determine if they are providing suitable habitat for monarch caterpillars, who rely on milkweed as their only food source. In the fall, adult monarchs migrating south are captured and tagged as part of the Monarch Watch program.
Bats
Every summer an acoustic survey is done to determine what bat species are present at Masonville and how active they are. Special devices called bat detectors allow us to record the echolocation calls of bats, and software allows us to identify the calls by species.
Bird Banding
We are a proud supporter of the bird banding station at Masonville Cove and provide staff support and resources every spring and fall.
Public Outreach
Outreach can be an important tool for supporting wildlife at Masonville. We support partners with programming on and offsite to connect people with nature and encourage participation in community science (bioblitzes, gathering wildlife data for wildlife management plan, and using citizen science apps, and more!)
Wildlife Live-Streams
In the past we supported two live-streaming cameras at Masonville Cove, one at the eagle nest and another along the cove. We are currently looking into ways to bring this back.