The San Diego Tracking Team (SDTT), a California non-profit organization founded in 2003, promotes the preservation of critical wildlife habitat in the San Diego region. SDTT organizes and trains volunteers to conduct wildlife surveys. The data are used by regional planners to support wildlife corridors and other key habitat areas that are crucial to the survival of our native animals.
Volunteers can participate on wildlife surveys after a free half-day training session. They join a team of citizen scientists looking for tracks, scat, and other signs from some two dozen species. Experienced survey team leaders follow a strict data collection protocol and ensure a high confidence in identifications. SDTT teams monitor about three dozen transects (one-kilometer trail segments) throughout the San Diego region four times a year. Survey results are maintained in a historical database; they are also available on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Biogeographic Information & Observation System (BIOS). In addition to generating important scientifically-valid data, volunteers enjoy spending time in nature and developing their wildlife tracking skills.