Undergraduate Spotlight

ELEORA MCCAY ’26

Eleora McCay ’26, a wildlife and conservation biology major, received a Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) grant in 2023 from the Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research to support a project monitoring mammals across the Granite State. Above, McCay collects the memory card from the game camera she used to record wildlife and adjusts the camera settings to match the requirements for the season. Eleora says:

“My work focused on collecting and analyzing data for the UNH Wildlife Modeling and Management Lab, headed by Rem Moll, assistant professor of wildlife ecology and management I worked mainly on monitoring the populations of furbearing species . The project uses game cameras across New Hampshire to count estimated populations and monitor their growth or decline over several years . The current methods used by New Hampshire Fish and Game to monitor furbearing species rely on counts made by hunters and trappers . The cameras used by the lab should create a more accurate estimate of the population sizes .

I love being a part of this research and growing the skills necessary for working in my field of study. I learned how to better navigate through the woods via maps, contour lines and a compass, proper field safety and how to come up with creative solutions to problems that occur in the field. After traversing through nearly every ecosystem in New Hampshire, I have an even greater appreciation for the state that I already love so much. ”