Please fill out this Registered Volunteer Interest Form to become a registered volunteer for MassBears/MassMammals. This allows us to keep track of those among our sightings volunteers who are interested in submitting more regularly. We are so excited to have your help and value the time and effort you have given to our project!
Once you have filled out the form, look out for an email from citscima@amherst.edu for more information and your personal Google Drive Folder where you can upload photos directly from your device! Refer below for more information on the main ways volunteers submit sightings. You can submit photos taken on any device, whether it be your phone, DSLR, or trail camera.
Do you want to help us learn more about wildlife in our area, but don’t have a trail camera or photos to submit? The MassMammals team is also looking for outreach volunteers to help us spread the word! Learn more below under ‘Outreach Volunteers‘.
Photo Submission Options
1. Submit to MassMammals or MassBears Sightings Forms
This method allows you to enter information on your own personal interests in our project, location/date/time of sightings, camera information, etc. in addition to uploading your bear/mammal photos and videos. We suggest this method for those who take photos using their phone and for those who submit sightings from various locations.
2. Directly upload your photos from a fixed camera location (trail camera, Ring doorbell, security camera, etc.) to your own Google Drive Folder each month
This method allows more regular volunteers who use Trail Cameras or other fixed cameras to skip entering information on location/date/time of bear/mammal sightings and camera information. We suggest this method for those who have trail cameras or other cameras fixed in one location. (Conveniently many people have a doorbell or other security system that takes photos, which can also be used for regular contributions.) It also helps if the photos display the time and date of the sightings. Once you become a registered volunteer, you will receive a link to a Google Drive Folder from our email – citscima@amherst.edu.
Monthly or biweekly submissions of all pictures that are captured from a trail camera are valuable data to us! This method will allow you to upload multiple photos at a time and hopefully save you time during this process.
Please visit the Trail Camera Volunteers page for more information on camera settings, location, and orientation.
Outreach Volunteers
Do you want to help us learn more about wildlife in our area, but don’t have a trail camera or photos to submit? The MassMammals team is also looking for outreach volunteers to help us spread the word! We hope to collect sightings from across the state, but there are a few places we haven’t reached just yet, and we would appreciate your help in connecting with these areas.
Outreach volunteers help us by putting up fliers, posting on their social media, talking to others who are also passionate about community/ citizen science, and otherwise sharing our project with others. One important way to spread the word about MassMammals is by posting about us in your neighborhood Facebook or Nextdoor groups! If you are interested in becoming an outreach volunteer, please reach out to citscima@amherst.edu, contact us through our social media @massmammalswatch on facebook and instagram, or put up our fliers, linked below! Feel free to contact us if you know any environmentally-focused groups or individuals we should reach out to as well.
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Thank you for all of your help in expanding our knowledge of mammal populations in Massachusetts!
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