Statewide Mammal Survey

Summary

The New York Mammal Survey is the first-ever attempt at mapping the statewide distributions of all of New York’s more than 70 species of mammals, from mice to moose. Despite the visibility and familiarity of many mammals, little is known about many of the smaller species, which can be cryptic, nocturnal, and detectable only by trapping. There are surprisingly little survey data from recent years and several species have not been reported from the state in decades. With funding from the NYS DEC, a project team at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry is compiling available mammal data from museums, literature, universities, state agencies, social media, and other sources into an online repository that will be available for public viewing and eventually allow citizen science input. In addition, the DEC is funding surveys on Wildlife Management Areas that use a standard trapping methodology. NYNHP is leading smaller efforts on State Parks and the Adirondack and Catskills Forest Preserve. The data collected will help managers know which at-risk mammals occur on their properties and inform the state’s list of endangered and threatened species.