'Eagle cam' going up at KNWR

September 6, 2012

Arborist Michael Richardson perches precariously while painstakingly mounting the "eyeball end" of the new Eagle Cam high in the treetops at the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge, a system set to debut to the public October 6.

Thanks to the Friends of the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge and a grant the group received from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, visitors at the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge will soon be able to get a bird's eye view of one of the region's most majestic raptors, thanks to a new "Eagle Cam" currently being installed.

On September 4, arborist Michael Richardson, Skywalker Tree Care, climbed high up in the canopy to begin installation of the eyeball end of the equipment, with assistance from the crew at Meadow Creek Computer Works, 397 Meadow Creek Road, Bonners Ferry, who, along with Backwoods Solar, 1589 Rapid Lightning Creek Road, Sandpoint, provided and are finishing setup of the gear, a task expected to be finished next Wednesday.

Once the system is up and running, the feed will be viewable on monitors to be set up in the office and in the covered kiosk outside.

Because of the expense of getting Internet service to the refuge, the feed will not initially be available online, though making it available to viewers around the world is a goal of the Friends of the Kootenai National Wildlife, using funds raised through events like "Art in the Wild," a juried art show taking place at the refuge October 6, at which the eagle cam will debut.

To find out more about the eagle cam, Art in the Wild, or the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge in general, call (208) 267-3888.