St. Louis wildlife comes into focus in new biodiversity project
Researchers have set up 34 motion-activated cameras across greater St. Louis, from the Gateway Arch National Park to Route 66 State Park in Eureka, Missouri, to document the wildlife living in and around the city's urban green spaces. The St. Louis Wildlife Project, a collaboration between St. Louis College of Pharmacy and Washington University's Tyson Research Center, is part of the Urban Wildlife Information Network, the Chicago-based multi-city research collaborative.
Cameras are checked four times a year along the Henry Shaw Ozark Corridor, and students review the photos to identify species. So far they have captured common urban animals like raccoons, deer, and opossums, alongside less expected residents including bobcats, river otters, red foxes, turkeys, and armadillos.
St. Louis brings a unique geographic advantage to the network. The city sits at the convergence of three rivers and sits adjacent to Ozark habitats known for high species diversity, making it a particularly rich environment for this kind of study. Researchers hope the findings will inform sustainable urban planning that supports wildlife, both locally and across the broader network.
