Deer Tracking Study
The white-tailed deer is a common sight in the Credit River
basin. However, the exact number in the population and the extent of their
habitat and migratory range are unknown. Students from the University of
Toronto Mississauga have undertaken a study of the local population of
white-tailed deer. We would be delighted if you might be interested in helping us to increase the range and number
of deer sightings in our database. 
About the Study
The study was started by students Ashley Warnock and Stephanie Ulcar during the 2009/2010 academic year, as part of their project for the ENV400Y5 Environmental Internship course. Ashley and Stephanie received a UTM Dean's Award for their work on this project.
Under the guidance of Mr. Dave Taylor, Education Program Director/Consultant at the Riverwood Conservancy, students Jefery Fernando and Kirushanth Gnanachandran will expand on this study over the next few months, with plans for other students to continue the work in subsequent years. This ongoing study will improve our understanding of the local deer population. The main focus for the study this year will be on the number of deer, and their behavior, habitat, and migratory range.
How You Can Help
An important aspect of this study is its central component of "Citizen Science" - in other words, the project depends on your input! This is an opportunity for you to contribute to scientific knowledge, and to share your own knowledge and observations of the natural world. Think about also involving your kids or grandchildren - it's a great way to raise their awareness of the environment and show them how scientific observations are carried out and reported.
If you happen to encounter a deer in your backyard, or anywhere within Mississauga, please log on to the following website and record the information that you gathered:
http://geog.utm.utoronto.ca/deersightings/
Once you are on the website, select one of the maps from the top toolbar, click on the area where you spotted the deer, and add as much information as possible.
Alternatively, please feel free to e-mail us the information at:
riverwood.deerproject@gmail.com
Here is a list of the types of information we are particularly interested in collecting for the project at this time:
For this part of the project, we are mainly interested in actual deer sightings. In the future we hope to extend the project to include other signs of deer presence, such as scat or tracks.
For information about the UTM Environment Programs, please visit the following website:
www.utm.utoronto.ca/env
If you have any questions about this project or would like more information, please feel free to contact us using the following e-mail addresses:
Dave Taylor: education@theriverwoodconservancy.org
Jefery Fernando: jef.fernando@utoronto.ca
Kirushanth Gnanachandran: kirushanth.gnanachandran@utoronto.ca
We would like to thank you in advance for your support. Your help will be greatly appreciated and will help us acquire more data. We hope to encourage the involvement of Riverwood and UTM neighbours in more Citizen Science projects in the future.
About the Study
The study was started by students Ashley Warnock and Stephanie Ulcar during the 2009/2010 academic year, as part of their project for the ENV400Y5 Environmental Internship course. Ashley and Stephanie received a UTM Dean's Award for their work on this project.
Under the guidance of Mr. Dave Taylor, Education Program Director/Consultant at the Riverwood Conservancy, students Jefery Fernando and Kirushanth Gnanachandran will expand on this study over the next few months, with plans for other students to continue the work in subsequent years. This ongoing study will improve our understanding of the local deer population. The main focus for the study this year will be on the number of deer, and their behavior, habitat, and migratory range.
How You Can Help
An important aspect of this study is its central component of "Citizen Science" - in other words, the project depends on your input! This is an opportunity for you to contribute to scientific knowledge, and to share your own knowledge and observations of the natural world. Think about also involving your kids or grandchildren - it's a great way to raise their awareness of the environment and show them how scientific observations are carried out and reported.
If you happen to encounter a deer in your backyard, or anywhere within Mississauga, please log on to the following website and record the information that you gathered:
http://geog.utm.utoronto.ca/deersightings/
Once you are on the website, select one of the maps from the top toolbar, click on the area where you spotted the deer, and add as much information as possible.
Alternatively, please feel free to e-mail us the information at:
riverwood.deerproject@gmail.com
Here is a list of the types of information we are particularly interested in collecting for the project at this time:
- The date and time of the deer sighting
- Approximate location (e.g., trail name; backyard, with address or nearby intersection)
- Approximate distance from the trail or road to the location of the deer sighting
- Weather conditions (e.g., cloudy, rainy)
- The behavior of the deer at the time of the sighting (e.g., eating, running)
- Number and description of deer (e.g., male/female; young/adult; how many in the group)
- Whether the deer had antlers
For this part of the project, we are mainly interested in actual deer sightings. In the future we hope to extend the project to include other signs of deer presence, such as scat or tracks.
For information about the UTM Environment Programs, please visit the following website:
www.utm.utoronto.ca/env
If you have any questions about this project or would like more information, please feel free to contact us using the following e-mail addresses:
Dave Taylor: education@theriverwoodconservancy.org
Jefery Fernando: jef.fernando@utoronto.ca
Kirushanth Gnanachandran: kirushanth.gnanachandran@utoronto.ca
We would like to thank you in advance for your support. Your help will be greatly appreciated and will help us acquire more data. We hope to encourage the involvement of Riverwood and UTM neighbours in more Citizen Science projects in the future.