last updated: 16 Aug. 2016
After Visiting Hours in Harvard Forest
As naturalists, our imaginary often focuses on remote, inaccessible areas, which encapsulate a sense of wilderness. It is in these places that we often frame the animals that we would like to encounter. Yet, these wild animals, and among them the wilderness flagships, may just as well visit our doorsteps, when we look away. Between February and July 2016, I deployed four trail cameras in different habitats – beaver pond, trail and old stand – in Harvard Forest, Petersham MA, USA. In so doing, I intended to gather information about the animal communities occupying the different sectors of Harvard Forest. The results of this survey were shared by Harvard Forest to their visitors.