Northern Idaho ground squirrel
Urocitellus brunneusThe threatened species at the heart of the field system.
IN THE FIELD / WHERE DISCOVERY HAPPENS
Real habitats. Real questions.
An instrument is only as useful as the science it can support outdoors. Wildmarker’s development is rooted in long-term field research.
CENTRAL IDAHOA small mammal
A small mammal
with a big story to tell.
Northern Idaho ground squirrel
Urocitellus brunneus
OUR BIOLOGICAL PROVING GROUND
Years of field knowledge.
A new way to measure.
The project’s core field system is the small-mammal community of west-central Idaho, including the threatened northern Idaho ground squirrel. Long-running studies led by co-PI Courtney Conway provide a rare opportunity to compare new automated observations with established field methods.
Existing reference identities and conventional measurements help the team test individual recognition, body dimensions, and weight estimates. Similar-looking squirrel species make this a demanding test for computer vision.
Learn about the speciesFOUR FOCAL NEIGHBORS
Columbian ground squirrel
Urocitellus columbianusA similar-looking neighbor that challenges species recognition.
Yellow-pine chipmunk
Tamias amoenusA smaller visitor with a distinctive striped coat.
Western deermouse
Peromyscus sonoriensisA nocturnal small mammal that broadens the instrument’s test conditions.
A BROADER TEST
From Idaho’s meadows
to Arizona’s desert.
The proposal includes independent testing in a different habitat and small-mammal community, alongside opportunities for agency use.
Central Idaho
Established small-mammal study sites connect instrument testing with long-term research led by the Conway team.
Santa Rita, Arizona
Collaboration with NSF’s NEON program at the Santa Rita Experimental Range is planned for project years 2–3.
Explore the NEON siteIdaho Fish and Game
The proposal includes lending five instruments in year 3 to support testing beyond the project’s regular field season.
A SHARED CURIOSITY. A SHARED FUTURE.