New Essay – Eyes in the Wild – BorderLore

My recent article in BorderLore, “Eyes in the Wild,” was super fun to write. I wrote the piece as part of the Southwest Folklife Alliance’s Climate and Culture cohort, a group of writers throughout the southwest examining the intersection of folklife and climate change. How are people’s beliefs and practices evolving to address the changes in the climate? Each member of the cohort addressed that question in different ways.

Here’s link to my article – Eyes in the Wild

I chose to examine how people use motion-activated game cameras to monitor wildlife. The cameras help scientists estimate the ranges and population sizes of many species. For hobbyists like me, the cameras allow me to observe animals in more detail, notice behaviors and changes, and glimpse the personalities of my non-human neighbors. In my article, I shadow a more experienced camera users and tracker, explore game camera footage on social media, share helpful tips for new and potential hobbyists, as well as discuss conservation programs with biologists from Sky Island Alliance. Their FotoFauna program offers hobbyists a way to contribute to science and conservation through crowdsourcing camera footage. As a participant now, I find the project informative and enjoyable. I highly encourage anyone with a game camera in the US/Mexico border region to participate!

I also maintain a YouTube channel that features a lot of game camera footage. Check that out here – Lo Fi Outdoors