Greetings, Naturalists!

We’re initiating a community science effort to study fox and coyote dens in the Twin Cities area. Finding fox dens is an especially grassroots effort, since our research shows that foxes are often using private land within neighborhoods, and their dens are often in backyards or under sheds. If you’ve had foxes digging in your yard or under a shed, it’s likely that they’re digging a den because they are about to have kits (or perhaps have already had them!). Dens are of extreme biological importance to coyotes and foxes as protection for their young, and we want to study how they choose these locations. Helping us find those locations is where you can help!

If you’re interested in participating in the community science initiative project, you can either follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/tccfp) or Twitter (twitter.com/tccfp_umn) and check out our latest post for how to get involved. Alternatively, you can also just go straight to our website (https://tccfp.umn.edu/become-citizen-scientist) to report a den or get in contact with us. If you know that a neighbor has a fox den on their property, please let them know how to get in contact with me through our website. I’m really hoping that with your help the Twin Cities can shine as an example of how communities can contribute to a deeper scientific understanding of urban wildlife. Thanks!