On October 7, 2025, two significant announcements in the world of wildlife conservation showcased how technology and community action are reshaping the ways humans interact with—and protect—some of North America’s most vulnerable species. The first comes from The Ohio State University, where researchers unveiled ECODATA, a new open-source software tool designed to animate and visualize vast amounts of wildlife tracking data. Meanwhile, in Utah, the Division of Wildlife Resources and The Peregrine Fund kicked off their annual Hunters Helping Condors program, urging hunters in the Zion hunting unit to take steps to protect scavenging birds, especially the endangered California condor, during the 2025 hunting season.
ECODATA, as described in a paper just published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution, is the result of years of work by a collaborative team led by civil engineering professor Gil Bohrer at Ohio State. The software’s main appeal is its ability to transform massive, often unwieldy datasets into dynamic animations that make animal movement patterns come alive. According to Bohrer, “We’re not creating new information, but we are taking data that ecologists typically find hard to utilize and making it easy and accessible. This can help users understand an ecosystem and quickly identify what’s going on, or test a good hypothesis they have.”
Wildlife tracking data is notoriously complex. Researchers often struggle to make sense of how animals move in response to environmental factors like weather, vegetation growth, or human infrastructure. ECODATA steps in as a flexible mapping tool, allowing users to animate these movements without needing programming skills. Justine Missik, the study’s lead author, explained, “There are all sorts of environmental datasets that are out there that are difficult for people to work with. Our project was helping address those research gaps.”
To demonstrate ECODATA’s potential, the research team presented two detailed case studies. The first followed elk and wolves near Banff National Park in Canada. By animating the animals’ movements in relation to roads, wildlife crossings, and seasonal changes in vegetation, the team revealed that both species migrate from the northeast in late spring to their summer range—often spending significant time near highways during periods of peak traffic. This kind of insight isn’t just academic; it can inform wildlife managers about where and when animals are most at risk of vehicle collisions, and help guide the placement of wildlife crossings or speed reduction zones.
The second case study focused on caribou in northern Canada. Here, ECODATA’s visualizations helped wildlife managers track caribou movements during birthing season. The animations revealed previously unrecognized territories within the caribou’s seasonal range, offering new information that could shape future conservation strategies. As Bohrer put it, “These animations are tools to explore the data in a different way, by many different users in many different contexts.”
What sets ECODATA apart from earlier attempts at wildlife data visualization is its accessibility. Previous tools often required users to have at least some programming background, but ECODATA is designed so that ecologists, wildlife managers, and even interested members of the public can use it with ease. The hope is that these user-friendly animations will inspire more detailed explorations of ecological models and support impactful, sustainable decision-making. The project received support from NASA and the MathWorks MATLAB Community Toolbox Program, signaling its importance to both the scientific and conservation communities.
While ECODATA is helping researchers make sense of the wild, the Hunters Helping Condors program in Utah is enlisting local hunters as active participants in wildlife protection. According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, hunters visiting the Zion hunting unit during October 2025 are invited to stop at a check station—located at the intersection of Yellowjacket Road and Hancock Road, roughly 3.25 miles north of Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park—on select dates throughout the month. There, they can show that they’re using lead-free ammunition or that they’ve removed all animal remains from the field, actions that directly benefit scavenging birds like eagles, hawks, and especially California condors.
Hunters who participate are entered into a drawing for an $800 outdoor equipment gift card, donated by The Peregrine Fund. But the real prize, as conservation biologist Danielle Finlayson emphasized, is the chance to make a tangible difference for wildlife. “The Hunters Helping Condors collaborative effort demonstrates one of the ways that hunters are at the forefront of wildlife conservation,” Finlayson said. “Lead poisoning is the leading cause of death for free-flying condors in Utah and Arizona. We are very grateful for all the hunters who are taking steps to prevent secondary impacts to scavenging wildlife, including eagles and California condors.”
Lead poisoning occurs when scavengers feed on the remains of animals shot with lead ammunition. California condors, obligate scavengers, are especially susceptible. The species’ history is a dramatic one: by 1982, only 23 condors remained in the world, prompting a last-ditch effort to capture and breed them in captivity. Thanks to that initiative, the population has rebounded to more than 500 birds today, with 87 now flying free in the Arizona/Utah region. Still, their future is far from secure. The threat of lead poisoning looms large, making programs like Hunters Helping Condors all the more critical.
To further support these efforts, hunters who draw an any-legal-weapon big game permit for the Zion Unit receive coupons for free or heavily discounted lead-free ammunition before the season begins. The hope is that more hunters will make the switch, reducing the risk to condors and other scavengers. Those interested in learning more can tune into the DWR Wild podcast, which offers tips on lead-free ammunition and other ways to help birds of prey.
Both ECODATA and Hunters Helping Condors reflect a growing recognition that wildlife conservation requires both innovative technology and grassroots participation. Whether it’s through sophisticated software that brings animal movements into focus or community-driven programs that enlist hunters as allies, these initiatives are forging new paths toward coexistence. As Bohrer noted, “These animations are very effective. They can process and plot lots of changing environmental conditions and corresponding animal movement in a really temporally dynamic way.” And as Finlayson pointed out, hunters themselves are often on the front lines of conservation, making choices that ripple through the ecosystem.
With the support of organizations like NASA, The Peregrine Fund, and state wildlife agencies, the future of North America’s wild places—and the creatures that call them home—looks a bit brighter. The blend of scientific insight and practical action on display this October is a reminder that everyone, from researchers to hunters, has a role to play in safeguarding the natural world.
