UGA senior analyzes thousands of trail camera images to track wildlife in and around Athens
A University of Georgia student profile tells the story of Lavendar Harris, a senior wildlife sciences major spending her final year analyzing tens of thousands of trail camera photos taken across Athens-Clarke County. As part of her senior thesis through the Urban Wildlife Information Network, Harris and her adviser have placed 27 cameras along a rural to urban gradient, capturing over 64,000 images and 50 species in just the past year.
The piece highlights Harris's particular interest in large predators like coyotes and bobcats, and her work validating citizen science photo classifications from local community members. It also traces her path to conservation, from childhood volunteering at Athens' Bear Hollow Zoo to her current role as vice president of UGA's Wildlife Society Student Chapter.
