10 Comments

Thank you Richard and Napa Valley Features for this fascinating study.

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I subscribed because of this article and hope for more that aren't wine, vineyard or upscale tourist focused. Am interested in the land, a variety of all the other people here and creatures.

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Nice to have you as a new investor. We encourage your participation. For example, are you interested in contributing to a years-long study? Or perhaps you know of an unsung hero? We often focus on wine and luxury tourism as they drive the local economy and influence nearly every aspect of life here. However, we are also keen to spotlight other important aspects of life in this region, too. Your assistance is important, and we even have a "story idea" form on our website. We hope to hear from you about your ideas. Thank you.

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Thank you, Richard, for your dedication to conservation. Your contribution to the understanding of the ecology of your home area is truly inspiring.

I'm not a local resident, but do visit the Valley often, and have very much enjoyed my Napa Valley Focus subscription for its breadth of coverage. It makes me feel a part of a place I love.

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I would love to see the software that helps sort pictures; the first attempt with my Christmas present cam had way too many exposures of waving grass.

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Hi Phil, If you type timelapse ucalgary in your browser, you should find the Timelapse image analyzer created by Saul Greenberg. It is free download with all the instructions needed to get going. Only caveat - it is written for PCs so as an Apple user, I needed to get a PC to use it., but it made life a lot easier. Regarding the wind driven vegetation exposures, it pays to really tend your sites well and frequently especially in the spring and early summer. Also play with the sensitivity settings on your cams.

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Richard- thank you for the lead. I got called out of town suddenly last week so my cam had a week to record. Unfortunately, I had neglected to pull a couple of weeds directly in front of the camera and you can guess how many pics of an empty trail I had- I'll download the software soon.

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Richard- Thanks for the info. I'm just getting started with my new cam and I have a lot to learn. I got a good picture of a bobcat behind our place yesterday- I would have forwarded the photo but I don't see where to send it.

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We lived on Sulphur Creek near Vineyard Valley for many years. In our yard was a koi pond with a fence around it so the kids wouldn't fall in. One day we found a large fish stuck in the fence, half eaten. A river otter had come out of the creek and attacked our koi.

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I am so glad you are doing this…and in the creek that runs through my neighborhood! This kind of information is so important to help inform city and county officials of what actually lives or uses various habitats or avenues when the biologists hired by various developers try to claim that there will be no significant impacts to a particular project they are trying to push. They never seem to place cameras such as yours in their study area…and probably with good reason: they don’t want to reveal what actually lives there. Your data is so very important! I hope you download some of your sightings to iNaturalist so the greater scientific community can have access to it.

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