Mid-Atlantic Predator Survey

Researchers will be placing camera traps in hundreds of locations near the Appalachian Trail in Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland this year. The purpose is to survey predators in the region. This will include bears, bobcats, skunks, weasels, foxes, etc. While the organizers don't expect to see any, the possibility of cougar is also noted by the journalist. From the news:

"The cameras will be mounted to trees along with scented lures, placed roughly a half-mile apart and moved monthly to new locations.
"The locations will be within the AT corridor, but not along the trail itself to avoid being triggered by passing hikers. The data will be uploaded about once a month to a National Park Service Web site.
"Wildlife studies have been conducted along the Appalachian Trail for years, but this will be the first time motion-sensitive cameras are used to start creating a comprehensive predator inventory along the AT, which crosses all major ecological zones between New England and the Deep South.
"The study's goal is to create a baseline of predator populations so their fluctuations can be charted over time. The first year's data is valuable in itself because it can show how some species are faring by comparing their numbers in different locations such as heavily populated Northern Virginia and rural parts of Western Virginia." ...
"About 100 volunteers -- both professional researchers and 'citizen-scientists' -- are being recruited from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Virginia Master Naturalist Program and other outdoors-oriented groups."