This project is helping wildlife stay on the right track.

A conservation project in the Calgary region is collecting data on how wildlife moves through developed and high-traffic areas, including parts of Foothills County.

The Miistakis Institute has launched Nature’s Network, building on the Calgary Connect wildlife camera monitoring project. The initiative uses trail cameras near known animal-vehicle collision hotspots to track wildlife activity and identify areas where road safety measures may be needed.

The project is intended to help map important habitats, movement corridors for land mammals, and priority locations for wildlife-road mitigation. Miistakis says the information can support efforts to maintain ecological connections while improving safety for both animals and people.

Nature’s Network also uses amphibian information gathered through acoustic recording units to help identify key wetland habitats and links between wetlands.

The institute says understanding where natural connections remain in urban and regional landscapes is important for deciding how to protect them.