Researchers from Dalhousie University are studying the movement of wildlife in the Chignecto Isthmus between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia this summer.
Launched by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Wildpaths Maritimes Project aims to enhance conservation and safety for animals and people.
Environmental Studies masters student Amelia Barnes says part of the research includes recording instances of roadkill.
“We’ve been doing more fine scale walking surveys where we record any instances of tracks along the road. We also record any live animal sightings… any animals that come out of the forest or the fields and seem to approach the road,” she says.
They are also viewing trail cameras to find out what animals are doing away from human activity.
Later this year, Barnes says she will put her findings together in a report for the Nature Conservancy and other organizations which are funding the research.
(PHOTO – Amelia Barnes, Dalhousie University researcher, courtesy Nature Conservancy of Canada)