Support Ann's Study on Urban Badgers

Support Ann’s Master’s Thesis:

Badgers in the Bosque: A Population Study of Urban Badgers in Albuquerque, NM

My master’s thesis project in Environmental Studies at Prescott College, AZ is a study on the American badger (Taxidea taxus), an often-misunderstood animal. Badgers are amazing charismatic, fierce animals most people never see, but their large obvious digs get everyone’s attention. They help control rodents and insects, till soils, and create burrows for other species. I’m trying to estimate their population in a green belt (bosque) along the Rio Grande River in Albuquerque, NM. Their population size in NM is unknown (NMDGF, 2015), but they’re classified as an abundant, fur-bearing species which can be killed in season. However, they are in decline in many areas of the country (Quinn, 2008). Most badger studies have been done in northern areas and none in urban areas. How badgers may use an urban space such as Albuquerque is unknown. This study, which runs through August 2025, will help fill a gap of information. We’ll end up with a GIS map and my thesis, a scientific paper analyzing our results.

What I Need/ Why We Need Cameras

I’m asking for your help to buy 12 good-quality trail cameras (plus SD cards, lock boxes, cable locks and batteries). Multiple trail cameras with all the needed accessories add up fast; the study started out with a few cheap, old trail cameras, which have missed some important shots.

It turns out every American badger has a unique head stripe (Harrison, 2016). We will get close-up photos of badgers’ head stripes using scent lures between now and August of 2025 to estimate population. It’s not easy, but good cameras help immensely.

The Study Area (what’s the bosque?) and Working with the City

The Albuquerque bosque, the riparian forest on the banks of the Rio Grande River, is an urban green belt of mature cottonwoods, willows, Siberian elm and others. Continuous well-used bicycle paths and walking trails run through it. The badger study area is a 12-mile-long stretch of riverbank and flood plain from Alameda to .8 miles south of Cesar Chavez. The city of Albuquerque Open Space is on board and the Parks and Recreation Dept is helping me connect with the public to share photos of badgers observed there (and throughout the city). We’ll get a picture of urban badger activity both in and out of the bosque and create positive public awareness about badgers. Animal Welfare Control and DOT will share badger roadkill reports.

How We’ll Gather Data

Sixteen enthusiastic wildlife trackers took my monitoring training to learn about badger tracks and digs and record data with the CyberTracker conservation app, many from the wildlife tracking community. Now they are checking weekly for fresh badger sign to help decide where to put cameras.

Who I Am

I’m certified with Tracker Certification North America and teach animal tracking in Northern New Mexico and Arizona. I got inspired seeing so many badger digs and their tracks with such huge claws in the bosque. I wanted to know more – How many badgers made all these digs? Where do they travel? etc… My goal was to use wildlife tracking in my thesis, and to find an interesting animal who has a large impact on the land but has not been studied a lot. My tracking mentor suggested badgers and I was immediately on board.

Any help you can give will be appreciated!

Budget Breakdown:

12 Trail cameras, Browning StrikeForce Pro HD ($169 x12) = $2,028

12 SD Cards = $100

12 Cable locks = $240

12 Lock boxes = $420

288 AA Batteries = $84

TOTAL $2,872

References:

Harrison, R.L & Gould, M. (Feb 2018). A novel approach to estimating density of American badgers (Taxidea taxus) using automatic cameras at water sources in the Chihuahuan Desert. Journal of Mammalogy. DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyx142

Harrison, R.L. (2016). Noninvasive identification of American Badgers by features of their dorsal head stripes. Western North American Naturalist 76(2). 259-261. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1302&context=wnan

NM Department of Game & Fish. (2015). Trapping and furbearer management in North American wildlife conservation. https://wildlife.dgf.nm.gov/download/trapping-and-furbearer-management-in-north-american-wildlife-conservation/?wpdmdl=45004&refresh=63756fd8182141668640728

Quinn, J.H. (2008). The ecology of the American badger Taxidea taxus in California: assessing conservation needs on multiple scales. University of California at Davis.

https://sitesreservoirproject.riptideweb.com/references/REF23/Volume%201/Ch10_Wildlife/Quinn_2008_EcologyofAmericanBadger.pdf

Tracker Certification North America. (2015). Wildlife tracking story map. https://trackercertification.com/storymap/