Saskatoon’s Urban Wildlife Information Network
The Urban Wildlife Information Network, or UWIN, is an international research alliance created by the Urban Wildlife Institute at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, with the aim of “making cities better for humans and wildlife.”
UWIN exists “to conduct the science needed to ensure that humans and wildlife can co-exist in urban areas, and that cities can contribute to biodiversity conservation around the world.” The Network provides a standardized methodology for the deployment of wildlife cameras, a platform for sharing data, and a framework for researchers from different cities to compare their findings. Learn more here.
Did you know…Saskatoon is only the second Canadian city to join this important international research project. UWIN puts us on the map of conservation science!
UWIN location map, map source.
UWIN in Saskatoon
Today, Saskatoon’s UWIN is a collaborative project that brings together the Meewasin Valley Authority, City of Saskatoon Naturalized Parks, Dr. Ryan Brook’s lab at the University of Saskatchewan, the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan, and Wild About Saskatoon. The project relies on private donations and many, many in-kind contributions and volunteer hours.
Did you know… Saskatoon’s UWIN network includes 30 camera trap locations along two transects within the city, covering east/west and north/south, focusing on various habitat types from urban to suburban to peri-urban locations. The cameras give us a window into the lives of the animals that share the city with us. Meet some of them here.
The idea of joining the Urban Wildlife Information Network first arose back in 2019, when Wild About Saskatoon hosted a lecture by Dr. Maureen Murray, a research scientist with the Urban Wildlife Institute, as the keynote address at the NatureCity Festival. Although everyone was enthusiastic about the possibility of bringing UWIN to Saskatoon, the project seemed unattainable.
Then two small miracles occurred. First, a brilliant young researcher named Katie Harris began her graduate work under the supervision of Dr. Ryan Brook of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources. And second, the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo made a one-time, never-to-be-repeated purchase of wildlife cameras and other hardware. This gift enabled the Saskatoon project to meet the minimum criteria to join the Network. Katie launched the camera network in the fall of 2020 and maintained it until her fieldwork was completed in September 2023. The Network is now being transformed into a community-based initiative.
Make a Donation
All donations are eligible for tax receipts issued by our good friends at the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan. Select the option “Use the donation where it is needed most” and in the message box write “use for Saskatoon’s UWIN.”
If you want to make our hearts leap with joy by making a major or sustaining contribution, please contact us at hello@wildaboutsaskatoon.org
Connectivity is Key
Saskatoon’s UWIN project has already revealed important relationships between urban land use and biodiversity loss. As researcher Katie Harris explained to an interviewer in 2022, “My preliminary analyses are showing just how vital urban habitat connectivity and wildlife corridors—areas of land that allow an animal to move from one disconnected patch to another—are for wildlife biodiversity, with the least connected sites displaying very low levels of biodiversity.” This is an insight of critical importance for reversing biodiversity trends in and around this city.
Katie at work.
Read more about Katie Harris’s research
Young Innovators: USask researcher tracks impact of Saskatoon’s growth on wildlife.
With support from the Saskatoon Environmental Advisory Committee
