Squirrel Research Going High Tech

In Maine Fish and Wildlife class, we are preparing to begin our fall gray squirrel trapping next week. Last year's research helped to begin piecing together a rough population estimate for our campus but ended up creating more questions than answers. How far will squirrels travel to visit a feeder? What is the typical home range of a gray squirrel? Do squirrels seek different habitats at different times of the year? This year's research is geared toward answering our new questions. The collars our squirrels will be wearing this year are almost identical in to last year's model except for one key modification. This year's squirrel collars will be carrying a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip as well.

We plan to have 10 feeders spread throughout campus and nearby neighborhoods equipped with electronic RFID readers. When a squirrel and its microchip get within an inch of the reader, its presence will be recorded. This will offer important data on home range as well as documentation of suspected seasonal movements from our campus to nearby neighborhoods. Any data collection we are able to do this fall will be scientifically valuable as there is almost no published research on gray squirrels.

Note the RFID chip protruding from the custom housing on the squirrel collar.

Yesterday we employed Thornton Academy's 3D printer to build custom housings for the microchips. These plastic housings will keep the RFID chips safe from the weather and securely attached to the collar. Having this piece of technology in my classroom is a great way to connect science and engineering with my students. A huge thank you has to go out to junior, Sam Archibald, for his computer programming talents in making this program happen this year.

15 housings near the end of the printing process