Your watch starts now! FWC unveils Florida Wildlife Watch photo project

Take a break from scrolling and spend a few minutes each day contributing to wildlife research instead! The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is asking for your help with Florida Wildlife Watch, a new statewide participatory science program hosted on the Zooniverse web platform. What will you discover?

Visit: Zooniverse.org/Projects/FWC/Florida-Wildlife-Watch

Through Florida Wildlife Watch, participants will identify images of animals captured on trail cameras deployed across the FWC’s Wildlife Management Area system, which spans more than 6 million acres of public lands throughout the state. The classifications submitted by volunteers help biologists and land managers monitor wildlife populations, track ecosystem health and guide conservation and management decisions statewide.

Trail cameras are an important tool for wildlife monitoring because they allow biologists to observe animals across large landscapes with minimal disturbance. However, processing the massive number of photos generated by these cameras can take significant time. Florida Wildlife Watch allows the public to play a meaningful role in helping biologists sort and classify wildlife images while learning more about Florida’s incredible biodiversity.

“Florida Wildlife Watch connects people at home to nature while having a real impact on conservation,” said Graysen Boehning, FWC Statewide Participatory Science Coordinator. “Even just a few classifications can be incredibly important in helping us understand the incredible ecosystems and wildlife we have here in Florida.”

Participants may spot a wide variety of native wildlife on camera, including white-tailed deer, bobcats, black bears, wild turkeys, wading birds and many other species found throughout Florida’s WMAs.

Florida Wildlife Watch builds on the success of previous FWC Zooniverse projects like Everglades Wildlife Watch, which launched in spring 2024 to connect thousands of volunteers with trail camera projects across south Florida. FWC's Zooniverse projects have attracted more than 16,000 volunteers and generated over 6 million classifications.

Visit MyFWC.com/WMAs to learn more about Florida’s public lands or plan your next outdoor adventure with the WMA Recreation Map.