General Information
The Motus Wildlife Tracking System has revolutionized how we record animal movements in nature. To learn more about this emerging technology, see the “Motus Wildlife Tracking” section of our Research webpage. The Powdermill Avian Research Center, as part of the Northeast Motus Collaboration, will host biannual workshops focusing on Motus technology.
Motus Workshops are offered in two parts: first, a virtual lecture series taking place over two days will provide baseline and background content designing projects using Motus Wildlife Tracking technology, managing data, and the structure and funding of a network array of Motus receiving stations. Second is an in-person technical portion held over seven days in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of Southwestern Pennsylvania designed for those planning to install stations of their own. The in-person technical portion will discuss equipment planning and preparation, field installation techniques, and participants will have the opportunity to be part of two station builds. Installation days are long and labor intensive, come with proper work footwear and clothing, shorts and sandals are not recommended.
Virtual workshop registration is $300 for professionals, $150 for students and Latin American professionals. In-person workshop registration is $2,300 and includes meals and shared housing in modest cabins on property (bring your own linens). If you wish to stay elsewhere, standard accommodations are available at several nearby hotels for approximately $100 per night. Participants will be responsible for their own transportation.
OUR NEXT MOTUS WORKSHOP:
There are no Motus Workshops scheduled at this time. To add your name to the waiting list for future Motus Workshops, please email our Urban Bird Conservation Coordinator, Jon Rice.
What to expect if you are registered
We will send reading materials in advance of the workshop start date, including papers related to Motus technology, a tentative itinerary, menu, and map. Workshop activities will begin Saturday evening at 5:00 pm with an opening talk outlining what to expect during the workshop and social time to get to know each other. Saturday activities will include equipment manipulation and preparing for field installations. On Sunday, workshoppers will gain first-hand experience installing a Motus receiver station by watching Powdermill Motus technicians rebuild a site nearby Powdermill. Later in the week workshoppers will be taken to a location to install a new receiver station by themselves with Powdermill technicians standing by for guidance. We plan to stay in local hotels near the sites and not at Powdermill for the entire week
About the area
Powdermill Nature Reserve is somewhat remote and sits in the valley between two ridges with a lot of surrounding state park and forest lands (i.e., lots of opportunities for hiking, exploring, etc.). If you wish to extend your stay before or after the workshop, places worth visiting include Linn Run State Park (4 mi), Forbes State Forest (5 mi), Laurel Summit State Park (10 mi), Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater (25 mi), and Ohiopyle/Ohiopyle State Park (30 mi). Barb’s Country store in Rector (3 mi) is the closest place for a few essentials or delicious deli sandwich. Ligonier, about 8 miles away, is the closest town and has plenty of shopping, restaurants, and a grocery store. A short drive farther west on Route 30 (~15 minutes) will take you to Latrobe, the closest city with large shopping centers and medical facilities.
What to pack
- Layers (warm/hot days can start with considerably cold mornings)
- Sleeping bag or sheets, pillowcase, blankets, towels and washcloths (the cabins do not come with linens)
- Soap and personal items
- Boots and rain gear – come prepared for the weather and walking/working outside
- Notebook and pen/pencil
- Water bottle
- Drinking water (OPTIONAL – tap water is tested and good to drink, but smells a bit metallic)
Still have questions?
Please read through the FAQs below. If you can’t find your answer there, please email our Workshop Coordinator, Jonathan Rice at ricej@carnegiemnh.org.
MOTUS Workshop FAQs
Virtual workshop registration is $300 for professionals, $150 for students and Latin American professionals. In-person workshop registration is $2,300 and includes meals and shared housing in modest cabins on property (bring your own linens). If you wish to stay elsewhere, standard accommodations are available at several nearby hotels for approximately $100 per night. Participants will be responsible for their own transportation.
For the virtual workshop, you will receive two days of instruction on project planning and implementation of Motus Wildlife Tracking Technology including; study design, nanotags, and permits, site selection, GIS, receiver options, tag and station registration, data uploads and downloads, and manipulation using R.
For the in-person workshop you will receive seven days of instruction on the installation techniques for using Motus Wildlife Tracking technology. Through hands-on experience you will prepare and install two motus receiving stations at sites near Powdermill. Meals and housing are included in your ticket price.
Lodging is in a house or cabin on Powdermill property. Participants may be required to share bedrooms with one another, but there will be individual beds for everyone. Participants will need to bring linens. Facilities include a common living area and a kitchen.
Space is limited; therefore, priority will be given to those who sign up first.
Payment is due when you purchase your ticket.
If you are not able to attend due to unforeseen circumstances, we will refund your money in full if we are able to find another participant to take your place. In the event that we cannot find a replacement, we will refund half of your payment under reasonable extenuating circumstances.
Yes. If tickets for the workshop are sold out, email Jonathan Rice at ricej@carnegiemnh.org to be put on a waiting list. Folks on our waiting list are given advanced notice of the next workshop and first access to ticket sales.
Lucas DeGroote, Avian Research Coordinator, Powdermill Avian Research Center
Jonathan Rice, Urban Bird Conservation Coordinator, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Mallory Sarver, Field Assistant, Powdermill Nature Reserve
Bryce Stouffer, GIS Research Scientist, Powdermill Nature Reserve
Lisa Kiziuk, Director of Bird Conservation Program, Willistown Conservation Trust
Alison Fetterman, Bird Conservation Associate & Pennsylvania Motus Project Manager, Willistown Conservation Trust
Todd Alleger, New England Motus Project Technician, Willistown Conservation Trust
Michelle Eschelman, Motus Avian Research Coordinator, Willistown Conservation Trust
Dave Brinker, Ecologist, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Natural Heritage Program
Scott Weidensaul, researcher and award-winning natural history writer, Project Owlnet and Ned Smith Nature Center
Matt Webb, Motus Coordinator, Bird Observatory of the Rockies
There is wireless internet in the lodging, nature center, and at the Avian Research Center.
There is very little cell phone reception on the reserve, but you can connect by driving a short distance (~1 mile) away. The phones in the cabins make local calls only; you may want to bring a calling card if you wish to use the cabin phone for calls out of the area.
No, sorry. Space is very limited and thus only parties interested in utilizing Motus technology are expected to attend the workshop.