Wildlife Collars Equipped with Smoke Sensors to Study Animal Exposure
Researchers at Colorado State University have created a small, open-source air quality monitor that can be attached to wildlife tracking collars. The device records hazardous particle levels alongside location and physiological data, allowing scientists to study how animals in remote areas respond to wildfire smoke. Initial results and the design are published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution.
Colorado State University scientists built a compact, freely available sensor package that rides on animal tracking collars. It measures harmful airborne particles while also logging where an animal is and physiological signals such as heart rate. The design and first findings appear in Methods in Ecology and Evolution.
The project, led by George Wittemyer with Mark Ditmer and Adam Parlin, addresses a gap: wilderness air quality is rarely monitored, even as wildfire smoke becomes a recurring North American problem. Collaborators are attaching units to cougars, deer and elk and placing sensors in endangered Sierra Nevada fisher habitat; later papers will report results.
This tool may help conservation managers and wildlife researchers understand how smoke exposure affects free-ranging animals, potentially informing habitat protection or refuge identification. Communities near fire-prone landscapes could benefit indirectly if healthier wildlife populations and better ecological data support management decisions. However, impacts depend on adoption, data sharing, and whether findings translate into practical interventions. Animal welfare, rural communities, and agencies managing public lands may be among those affected.