Help FWC monitor eastern indigo snakes through new online project

FLORIDA — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is calling on volunteers to help identify images of the federally threatened eastern indigo snake through its new Indigo Snake Watch project.

Based in Northwest Florida, the initiative uses digital trail camera photos to enhance understanding of the reintroduced snake’s activity and distribution.

The project, hosted on the Zooniverse platform, is a participatory science effort requiring no commitment. Volunteers can classify as many or as few photos as they wish.

The project is a collaboration between the FWC, the Central Florida Zoo’s Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation, and The Nature Conservancy in Florida. It follows the success of the Everglades Wildlife Watch launched earlier this year.

Trail cameras placed throughout the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve capture images that volunteers can help classify online. This citizen science effort will assist biologists in better understanding the success of the reintroduced indigo snake population and guide ongoing conservation efforts.

To take part, visit Zooniverse.org/Projects/FWC/Indigo-Snake-Watch

After disappearing from the region decades ago, the eastern indigo snake has been reintroduced to the Florida panhandle. The FWC is heavily involved in the reintroduction of eastern indigo snakes to their former range, as well as in the conservation of Florida’s wealth of biodiversity and wildlife habitat.

To learn more about FWC’s work to conserve threatened species, visit MyFWC.com/Imperiled.