Bears and Cougars!

Hi All! Lots of action this weekend out here in Montana! While we were at the Griz game on Saturday, the real Griz were making an appearance out in the woods. This week were are off to LA for the 2010 Solar conference. Gotta keep on top of all of the new technology. Have a great week!

AMAZING WILDLIFE PICS!!

We have captured some amazing wildlife pictures in the last two weeks…two black bears hanging out together, a fawn feeding and a couple of grey wolves. Our buddy Giles came across a fresh mountain lion kill last week but before we could get a camera on it the bears got into the leftovers. The weather is certainly starting to change here in Montana and the animals are getting ready for winter.

 

 

 

Bear Cub Returns to Den

Last winter we are able to help out bear mangers by placing a black bear cub in a web enabled den to hibernate for the winter. The cub spent approximately 4 months in the den (winter 2009-2010). We recorded his movements and habits learning quite a bit about bear hibernation. For example in an average of 30 days the bear was visibly awake for 28 of them. He spent time fluffing his bed, scratching, yawning and checking his surroundings. You can watch videos posted here on our blog or at www.condonwildlifecams.com. The black bear cub left the den in the spring of 2010. Just last month (Septermber2010) we saw the cub on the den camera checking out his home from last winter (photo attached). It is possible that he may den here again thru the winter of 2010. We are keeping a close eye on the cameras to see if he returns!

Bird Box Surprise

Ryan and the Crew were in the woods last week and stumbled across something other than a bird in a bird box!
http://sharing.theflip.com/session/5c382c548ea22a41a0653c6f100f2150/video/18549183

They were out for a week getting the gear ready fro winter...although it is 80 degrees today in MT we know winter will be here soon. We caught a few sightings of bears on camera 4 www.condonwildlifecams.com.
And of course lots of deer.

Plans this week include designing a Hippo camera for the Humane Society.

Stayed tuned for more pics!

Alter Enterprise Video Conference

Hi All! If you have time today Ryan and his team are hosting a video conference at 330MST. They are broadcasting live from a bear den in the middle of the Montana woods. The topic is technology and education. Here is the link: http://rss.vision.net/module.php?mod=mod_live&task=live_play&port=1800   Have a great day!

Bird Box Surprise

Today was a great day in the field!
Rain Gear - Check
Protein Snacks - Check
Clean Bird boxes - Check
We went through quite a few bird boxes today, cleaning and sanitizing them so they will be ready next spring. We remove the old nesting materials, clean the box with a low bleach solution and then repack it with clean nesting materials. We had about five different varieties of birds nesting in them this summer. Oh, and something other than a bird, click the link above to see our special visitor!

Who knows what is going to turn up tomorrow...

Backyard Experiment

We set up a camera in the backyard last week to test some equipment… a remote solar powered cell base and one camera. We had no idea what we would capture on camera!   Lots of white tail deer (this is Montana ), a red fox, a couple of neighborhood cats and my wife legs (I'd know those legs anywhere). We also caught pics of our neighbor's dog, Crazy, who escapes his yard on an hourly basis.   We left the camera up for a week and now the equipment is off to the Bison Range http://www.fws.gov/bisonrange/nbr/  in Montana where they will be setting up a cell base and four cameras. We can't wait to see what kind of pictures they capture!

AE on MySpace

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Wednesday Update

Good Morning and welcome to Wednesdays edition of our blog. Not much showing up on the wildlife cameras this week. Lots of deer, a few mountain lions and a snow shoe hare. The weather is starting to change and I am sure will start to see some more bear activity as they begin to prepare for winter hibernation.   Yesterday we visited the Bison Range here in Montana http://www.fws.gov/bisonrange/nbr/ They are putting up a few of our cameras to monitor wildlife on their land. We were glad to help them and look forward to some interesting pics!   Tomorrow we will be out in the woods http://www.condonwildlifecams.com/portal/ checking cameras and meeting with local supporters. Hopefully we will have some more awesome pics to share!   Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!

AE visits ZooMontana

This weekend AE made a trip to ZooMontana to see the grizzly cubs from Yellowstone, Brother, Dolly and Little! http://www.zoomontana.org We would like to thank zoo director Jackie Worstell for welcoming us so warmly and sharing her amazing zoo with us!

Internet Enabled Bear Den

Well today was a really great field day! We worked on winterizing our Internet enabled bear den. We have been fortunate enough to outfit a bear den in the middle of the Montana woods with three web cameras. Today we have cleaned the den and readied the cameras in case the bear den is needed again this winter. We have placed orphan cubs in the den for the past two years. It has been a wonderful opportunity to work with bear managers and local land owners. We appreciate all of their continued support! See archived bear den video clips on the right side of our blog page under videos or on youtube under "alterenterprise". We are honored to assist in the conservation of Montana's wildlife.

Check out these deer pics we captured remotely this week! Learn more about white tail deer at http://fieldguide.mt.gov/detail_AMALC02020.aspx

Our cameras capture animal activities in real-time, in the animals’ natural habitats. As an automated system, our cameras post images and videos of animals—including bears, birds, fish, mountain lions, and wolves—to this website www.condonwillifecams.com within minutes after animals move by a camera. The system integrates network-enabled cameras with databases and software for image processing. Motion-sensitive cameras detect animal movements in a variety of natural habitats. Cameras also monitor artificial environments, including bird nest boxes and a winter den housing an orphaned black bear cub. Project biologists add information to the database for selected images to document species identification and animal behavior. The system is designed for research and educational uses, and to support specific wildlife management efforts. It is available publicly as part of our educational outreach.

Attractants bring in Wildlife

We tested out our first remote cell base camera system last weekend. A local bear was attracted to a homeowners chicken coop and bear specialists were hoping to resolve the situation with some added insight from the cameras. Just a reminder everyone, if you live in bear country be sure to keep your trash, bird feeders and chicken coops secure. Bears that learn to feed on garbage don't live very long. Help us protect and conserve wildlife. Thanks!

The Gizmologist speaks!

From the archives... the Gizmologist makes a rare appearence.

Social Media Links

testing our social media links...

Just for teachers!

AE offers an on-line wildlife biology class "Becoming a wildlife Biologist". Check out the link for more info!!
http://www.cilc.org/program_provider_detail.aspx?id=346

Blackfoot ETC (Education and Technology Conference)

Alter Enterprise was lucky enough to be invited by Blackfoot Telecommunications to participate in the first annual ETC!

The Gizmologist spoke to teachers about 21st century education. Click the link for the recorded presentation.

Alter Enterprise Presents at MEEA

Our resident biologist Tracy Holland presented at the 19th annual MEEA.

Subject Matter:
Wildlife Watching: Through the Lens and Beyond Carrie Brunger, Nature-Ed Consulting and Tracy Holland, Alter Enterprise

We had a great group of teachers who were able to utilize or classroom cirriculum firsthand!

Another from the archives...Bear Den Story

AE in the Missoula Independent

From the archives...a pretty funny article.

AE takes advantage of grant

AE was awarded a grant to continue training and supporting employees. This process went smoothly and was very beneficial to our employees. We would reccommend it to other businesses.

AE moves into MonTec

AE now has an office at Montec! We love our new space, as a matter of fact I am sitting in the office right now, eating cheetos and writing in this blog...

Today was a great day, we got some great photos and our educational cirriculum is coming together nicely.

I better get back to building content on this blog!

Cheers!!

news story on Automated Bear Trap

Education Conference 2010 Topic: 21st Education Sub Topic: Bears

http://rss.vision.net/media/Alter_Enterprises_AUG_04_2010_07_18_94265d47_WMV.asf

Nature Discovery Traveling Trunks

Traveling educational trunks help natural history come alive for your classroom. Trunks are available for 2 weeks for $35 or 3 weeks for $45 (longer rentals may be discussed). Shipping and handling is not included in the rental fee. To reserve your trunk NOW contact the Montana Natural History Center at 406-327-0405!

Wildlife images available round-the-clock.

We design our unique systems to be minimally obtrusive and we specialize in placing them in remote areas. Our systems are also designed to gather data such as date and time, and temperature. These systems are utilized by land owners, government agencies, non-profits and educators. Land owners enjoy the view and security our cameras provide, conservation groups utilize the cameras for many applications including education, research and law enforcement. Educators are bringing our cameras into the classroom, sharing wildlife data with their students.
Our systems can be hard wired or used remotely. The custom solar and battery kits used for charging the cameras can be deployed almost anywhere. Placing technology in the woods is not easy but we make it look that way.
A few of our current projects include: A live streaming bear den, automated bear trap with an internet uplink, local osprey cam and an underwater fish camera.

Law Enforcement & Illegal Trespassing

With the AE remote camera system, wildlife managers can be alerted when a security breach or illegal trespass has occurred in any unsecured area. Monitoring and surveillance of remote areas is possible!

The AE wildlife camera systems contain motion sensors that can be set to automatically trigger to take pictures of external events. The camera system can be set to automatically take pictures at specific intervals of time, for example, once every 5, 15, 30 or 60 minutes. This provides a time-lapse effect when viewing wildlife activity over the course of several hours or each day. Infrared lights allow pictures to be taken at night, providing coverage 24 hours a day. Breaches to security, secure or off-limits areas can be identified, tracked and resolved.

Wildlife Cirriculum Development

Many of us today are stuck in our cubicles or classrooms, glued to the computer or TV. Most kids are more interested in the internet than the trees in their front yard. And why not? The internet gains them access to sites that are engaging and interesting. It helps them with homework answers, entertains them with games and live video. With this in mind Alter Enterprise has developed a curriculum for this new “fun” way of learning. We are bringing interactive nature curriculum to schools.
We do that by providing educators with remote-viewing technology to teach students about their natural surroundings. Imagine being able to bring your curriculum to life, and show students firsthand how animals live and act. Use our pictures and videos to demonstrate how birds raise their young, or to distinguish between species of deer and bear. Show students how animal corridors are used by skunks and cougars, and teach them about the secret ways of seldom-seen wildlife.
Students “become” wildlife biologists to practice the skills of a scientist and complete a research project about the mammals of Western Montana. They can link directly with Condon Wildlife Cams (condonwildlifecams.com) to learn about real wildlife being monitored on a continual basis in the mountains of Montana. Using the website as a reference and research tool, teachers lead students in learning about habitat, body structure, food, range, distinguishing characteristics, tracks, skills of field biologist, and phenology as it relates to Montana wildlife. Our current activities are geared primarily to the 4th/5th grade learning level.
Our curriculum helps teachers use technology in the classroom in conjunction with the hands-on tools in our trunk. What is the “Trunk”? This box of materials includes animal bones and pelts as well as a wildlife monitoring camera. Students can set up their own camera to discover what goes on in “Sam the hamsters” cage when no one is there or what animals may be living in the park behind the school. The curriculum aims to keep learning going long after the trunk is returned through continual access to a Montana wildlife monitoring program (condonwildlifecams.com).
By working in concert with educators and conservation-minded landowners, Alter Enterprise is helping to educate a new generation of students who are knowledgeable about and care for the natural environment.

What we do...

Alter Enterprise is a Montana based company that specializes in creating a customized remote wildlife viewing system that will allow you to connect more closely with the great outdoors. We have 10 years of experience integrating biology and technology. From live feeds to video stills, audio to infrared, there isn’t a project we haven’t been able to conquer. Our experienced staff is focused on product quality and outstanding service.
Contact Alter Enterprise to help monitor your site activity. A quote is always free!

Sample of Services Offered:
Customized monitoring of remote areas
Real time video delivery, live up link to web
Live streaming video, terrestrial and aquatic
Remote audio recording and sound streaming
In-house web hosting services
Full data integration
Education services, curriculum, traveling educational trunks
Property Security available with inferred technology

Who is Alter Enterpirse?

Alter Enterprise specializes in bringing the outdoors indoors. We combine biology and technology to unobtrusively capture wildlife in their natural habitat. This information is utilized by government agencies, local school teachers and for general community education. We are innovators, passionate about nature and conservation. A few of our current projects: A live streaming bear den, automated bear trap with an internet uplink, local osprey cam and an underwater fish camera.
Founder Ryan Alter has a long history in the fields of computer technology and environmental science. After achieving a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Youngstown State University, Ryan joined the University of Montana biology department and eventually served as UM’s Director of Academic Information Technology. Ryan then began developing remote wildlife-viewing systems out of his personal passion for wildlife conservation and education.
Services offered: Custom built internet automated bear traps, retrofitting of existing bear traps, wildlife monitoring systems via still photos or streaming video, underwater cameras, web hosting and management of wildlife data.