Mapping the Invisible Threat to Wildlife Migration

Every year, millions of animals navigate thousands of miles using Earth's magnetic field — and we may be quietly disrupting that ability without even knowing it.

Our team of high school students is building an RF Interference Mapping Rover to combat RF pollution. Animals like birds, sea turtles, and whales have navigated the planet for millions of years using senses we're only beginning to understand. But in recent decades, migration patterns have been shifting in ways scientists can't fully explain. The rover will autonomously traverse wildlife migration corridors, logging radiofrequency signal strength at frequencies known to interfere with animal magnetoreception — the biological compass birds, fish, and mammals rely on to migrate.

That data then gets cross-referenced that wildlife agencies can actually use to identify and address interference hotspots.

RF pollution is largely invisible and largely unmeasured in the context of wildlife, and we're building the tool to change that.

What the funds cover:

Raspberry Pi-based rover hardware and chassis

Data Analysis

RF signal sensors and GPS modules

Prototyping, testing, and iteration

Software development and data infrastructure

Every dollar goes directly into hardware and development. We're a student team with no institutional funding; this GoFundMe is how we get this project off the ground.

Goal: $5,000