Thousands of trail cameras are set up in the forests, plains and pastures of Wisconsin, silently waiting to capture the image of a passing elk, curious bobcat or galloping pack of otters.
And millions of these images have been compiled for everyone to see thanks to the Wisconsin Snapshot program implemented by the State Department of Natural Resources.
Many are blurry or only show an ear or tail at the edge of the frame. But others reveal playful, anxious and heartwarming scenes – moments humans rarely see.
The project has a dedicated fan base and photos from the site were widely shared on Twitter and Facebook after the New York Times recently covered the project (which Journal Sentinel outside columnist Paul A. Smith has covered regularly, including a article presenting it in 2014).
Snapshot Wisconsin has captured millions of photos of wildlife in Wisconsin since 2016
The Snapshot program is a “citizen science project” run by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. It works by having volunteers place cameras in pairs, at least a mile apart, across the state.
To date, tens of millions of photos have been captured by more than 2,000 cameras across Wisconsin, all of which were set up by volunteers.
Since the program is now so widespread, it can capture images in a large amount of ecosystems, discovering large amounts of wildlife.
Snapshot Wisconsin is primarily funded by Pittman-Robertson dollars provided by the federal government to Wisconsin DNR.
The project has several objectives, such as Smith reported in 2018including involving more residents in wildlife monitoring, improving relations between the DNR and citizens, and assessing the distribution of carnivores throughout the state.
How to Participate in Snapshot Wisconsin with Your Own Trail Camera
To participate in the program, you must have access to 10 acres of land. You must own the property or have permission from the landowner or public land manager to place a trail camera there.
Trail cameras should be at least 100 yards from any building, paved road, or wildlife bait. Cameras should be checked every three months.
Anyone can classify animal photos and help Snapshot Wisconsin track wildlife populations
Everyone can visit the Wisconsin Instant Website to help classify the animals captured in these millions of photographs.
With just a few clicks, you can identify whether the animal in a photo is a deer (or a weasel, otter, fox, house cat, or human, among dozens of options). Some animals come with follow-up tasks, such as determining if a deer is “alert”, resting or giving a “look at the camera”.
The information is being used to develop new methods to monitor deer populations and track population sizes of various species.
And photos of whooping cranes, moose, cougars and martens give MNR confirmed locations of these rare species.
Snapshot Wisconsin has become a healthy place to discuss nature
Part of Snapshot Wisconsin is a forum where people can comment on their favorite photos, share tips on good camera placements, and create fun captions for some of the best curvy animal candids.
Users will mark a particularly good photo – a photo that captures an intense scene, a beautiful moment or a rare animal – as “super instant.”
Nature lovers also come together to learn and share their knowledge, and it’s a pretty friendly place.
On a post where people were looking to learn the differences between a wolf and a coyote, a helpful respondent shared a “great wolf and coyote quiz” from Oregon DNR.
“It not only tests your skills, but it’s also a great teaching tool for those canine characteristics. Enjoy!”