Photo of Forest Nyberg, 2025-26 Student Conservation Intern
It’s 8 am on a cloudy day, and the air is warm. I just got off the ATV, and I’m walking through the woods. The dry brush crackles as I push through it, and I glance down at my phone, getting closer and closer to the point on my map.
I’m out searching for deer cameras at White Oak Bayou as part of the annual wildlife survey that takes place at the LaSalle fish and wildlife area, and all across the state of Indiana. The cameras are placed in remote locations to best capture data about the deer population at LaSalle. The cameras run on AA batteries, which need to be checked and/or replaced every 3 months. What that means for the person checking the cameras is that they have to navigate through the wild portions of LaSalle, ducking around trees, wading through wetlands, and constantly checking their GPS to make sure they’re going in the right direction towards where the camera is.
Forest working on a deer cam
Deer cameras are a method of estimating deer populations in an area. The cameras are set up in random places across the property, and when a deer walks past the camera, a motion sensor is triggered, and the camera takes a picture. The state deer program cooperates with Purdue to review the data collected from the cameras at LaSalle and across the state to help create an estimate of state deer populations. Some places also use thermal imaging drones as a secondary method to count deer populations.
Photos of deer cameras set up by Forest and the conservation interns.
The first job I was sent out alone for during my time as a Student Conservation Intern based at LaSalle was checking some of the deer cameras. I found it to be one of my favorite parts of the internship. One of the reasons is that there was a lot of trust being placed in me. I had already replaced a few deer cameras with my mentor, so I knew the process as well as the amount of time it took to get to some locations, but it felt completely different to get handed the tools to do the job and then do that job myself. Another part of what I enjoyed so much was being out in nature, which isn’t something I make the time to do as much as I should. Checking the deer cameras gave me a sense of calm and satisfaction at being trusted to work alone on the job. I enjoyed the time to think and spending time in nature.
Thank you for sharing your adventures with the community, Forest! To find more success stories of the Newton County Student Conservation Internship, click the button below.
