Community-based science
Scat-Track is our community-driven citizen science initiative designed to map, monitor, and protect the unique wild canines of the Gulf Coast. Spearheaded by Dr. Kristin Brzeski’s wildlife genetics lab at Michigan Technological University, this project turns community members, outdoor enthusiasts, and classrooms into frontline conservation researchers.
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By distributing specialized, easy-to-use fecal collection kits, Scat-Track empowers volunteers to collect non-invasive genetic samples from wild canines across the region. Back in the lab, we extract DNA from these samples to track the hidden legacy of the critically endangered Red wolf found in ghost wolves, map local pack territories, and study canine diets and health. Through Scat-Track, everyday citizens provide the vital data needed to build our interactive genetic database and fuel localized wildlife conservation strategies.
This program serves several vital conservation and research functions:
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Citizen Science Mobilization: The initiative distributes physical instruction packets and collection supplies to classrooms, locals, and field researchers. This allows everyday volunteers to locate, track, and safely harvest wild canine fecal samples across coastal ecosystems.
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The legacy of the ancestral Red wolf: The collected samples are processed to isolate non-invasive genetic material. Dr. Brzeski's team maps these findings to track the high percentages of critically endangered Red Wolf DNA that went extinct in modern-day wolves but continues to persist within the genomes of regional coyote populations of coastal Texas (famously dubbed "ghost wolves").
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Interactive Database: The resulting data fuels an interactive online website and genetic database built by the GCCP team to map out distinct packs, isolate stable isotopes, and observe wild canine dietary habits.
