Urban Wildlife Biodiversity Monitoring

The observers are observed themselves.

Monitoring Urban Wildlife

Cities can be hostile places for wildlife, with threats coming from of habitat destruction, roads and traffic, human pets and large numbers of invasive species. However, with proper management, urban areas can house a number of important wildlife species, including carnivores, small mammals, birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians.

To assess the biodiversity of the greater Chicagoland area, we are establishing monitoring stations across a four-county area, including downtown Chicago and its suburbs. Remotely triggered cameras will be used to determine which species are present without causing any undue harm or stress to the animals.

Knowing where Chicago’s urban wildlife is located will help us to better conserve it. This knowledge will pave the way for future studies on the behavior and ecology of specific urban species.
 

Staff

Project Leader
Seth Magle, Ph.D.
Director, Urban Wildlife Institute		 Liza Watson Lehrer, M.S.
Research Coordinator, Urban Wildlife Institute

Marian Vernon
Research Intern, Urban Wildlife Institute
 

 Mason Fidino
Coordinator of Wildlife Management, Urban Wildlife Institute

Multimedia

Cold, Hard Science
Turkeys. Deer. Red-bellied woodpeckers. Ecologist Seth Magle shares Chicago-area wildlife sightings from the zoo’s Urban Wildlife Biodiversity Monitoring project, an attempt to gather the most thorough portrait of urban wildlife ever collected.
Camera Trap Slideshow
Members of Lincoln Park Zoo's Urban Wildlife Institute recently installed camera traps at secret locations in wooded areas around Chicago. See a slideshow of wildlife they "captured."