In the fall, students on the Rainforest Project team started digging into learning and understanding the skills necessary to be successful biologists in the rainforest. In their Tropical Ecology Honors Seminar course, they spent weeks setting up 14 cameras throughout the woods and trails surrounding Forman’s campus. 

The footage allowed students to track wildlife sightings and gather data on animal activity. Specifically, their work centered around tracking black bear activity. However, the cameras also captured amazing footage of other animals, including squirrels, birds, white-tailed deer, foxes, and bobcats. 

“There are many more animal species than we originally thought [on campus],” shared Simon Strazza ’25. 

Students monitored the black bears' activity on campus, noting that they were most active in the early mornings and afternoons. They also observed a decline in the local bobcat population, likely due to the rising presence of coyotes in the area.

This group will continue to build skills as they prepare to conduct two weeks of field research in the Costa Rican rainforest during Winterim.