Help Track NY Wildlife: Snapshot NY Expands Trail Cam Project To Private Lands

If you live in the Adirondacks or Tug Hill, state researchers are looking for a few extra sets of eyes, specifically trail camera eyes to help track local wildlife.

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Snapshot NY, a citizen science initiative run by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Cornell University, is calling on local landowners to set up trail cams on their properties.

Tracking Wildlife Activity

Because more than 60 percent of New York State is privately owned, researchers can’t easily access key habitat corridors.

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Partnering with residents gives scientists a clearer picture of how mammals—from black bears and bobcats to fishers and snowshoe hares—are moving across the region.

Getting involved 

Snapshot NY divides the state into a map grid. You sign up on their website and reserve an open grid cell in your area.

If you don't own private acreage, you can also opt to place a camera on nearby State Forest or Wildlife Management Area land.

You can use your own trail camera or apply to borrow equipment through the program’s loaner pool.

What You'll Do

Mount the camera along a trail, field edge, or stream bed and leave it active for at least two months.

You’ll use the Snapshot NY mobile app to log your location and upload SD card images every few weeks.

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Scientists emphasize that even photos showing no wildlife are valuable, as it helps prove where species are and aren't living.

If you'd like to help map upstate's wildlife, you can sign up at snapshotny.org.