Independent analysis · Community science
Research & Reports
Carnivore Project turns community-reported encounters, verified records, camera-trap detections, field observations, and environmental information into careful, applied research. Explore our ongoing work and read the reports produced from our growing regional datasets.
Using community science responsibly
From local observations to regional research
Community science is research made stronger by public participation. When residents submit wildlife sightings and supporting information directly to Carnivore Project, they contribute observations that can be reviewed, organized, mapped, and analyzed alongside other available data sources.
Since January 2024, we have been building a centralized database of carnivore encounters. What began as mountain lion monitoring in El Dorado County has expanded to include black bears, gray wolves, and communities across the Sierra Nevada Foothills and Northern California.
Our goal is to transform individual observations into transparent public resources and carefully framed research that helps residents, ranchers, researchers, and wildlife professionals better understand reported carnivore activity across shared landscapes.
From report to research
How community information becomes useful
Reports are reviewed and interpreted as one part of a broader research process.
01 · COLLECT
Community observations
Residents submit encounter details, dates, approximate locations, photographs, videos, and other available documentation.
02 · REVIEW
Organized records
Information is reviewed, categorized, mapped, and maintained with attention to source quality, privacy, and the limitations of each report.
03 · ANALYZE
Applied findings
Structured records can be compared with camera detections, landscape variables, and other sources to examine reported encounter patterns and develop practical recommendations.
Work in progress
Current research programs
Our current work expands the geographic reach and sources of information available for future analysis while continuing to improve public access to useful wildlife information.
Regional Carnivore Sightings Database
Continued collection and review of community-reported mountain lion, black bear, and gray wolf encounters across the Sierra Nevada Foothills and Northern California.
Community Camera-Trap Network
A volunteer-supported camera network documenting confirmed wildlife detections with date, time, and location context across residential, ranching, and shared landscapes.
Encounter & Coexistence Analysis
Research examining reported encounters and site conditions to support more precise public resources, conflict-mitigation strategies, and future research questions.
Research integrity
What sightings data can—and cannot—tell us
Community-reported sightings document reported encounters. They do not represent a complete census of wildlife, prove population size or density, or show every location an animal uses. Reporting effort also varies among communities and over time.
Carnivore Project accounts for these limitations by clearly describing data sources and methods, evaluating reports in context, using additional sources when available, and avoiding conclusions that the available evidence cannot support.
Completed work
Published Carnivore Project reports
Read our completed analyses below. Historical reports retain their original geographic scope so readers can clearly distinguish earlier El Dorado County research from our expanding regional work.
2025 Mountain Lion Annual Report
Study area: El Dorado County, California
This report builds on the project’s earlier spatial work by analyzing where and when community-reported mountain lion encounters occurred within El Dorado County. It examines landscape-level variables associated with reported encounters and provides practical recommendations for homeowners and landowners seeking to reduce risk and limit conditions that may attract or support lion activity near residences.
Read the full 2025 report
2024 Spatial Analysis of Sightings Data
Study area: El Dorado County, California
This report examines where community-reported mountain lion sightings occurred across El Dorado County and evaluates how environmental variables—including elevation, terrain ruggedness, and proximity to cover—were associated with the likelihood of a reported sighting location.
Read the full 2024 reportParticipate in community science
Research begins with reliable observations
Report a wildlife encounter, explore the public sightings map, or help expand the community camera network. Public participation helps Carnivore Project build stronger records and ask better research questions.
Carnivore Project reports support community-science research. They do not replace emergency, law-enforcement, livestock-depredation, or official wildlife-agency reports.