Curious about wildlife cameras and the FotoFauna process but don’t have a camera yet? Then our lending library system may be the place for you! Our lending library program partners with local libraries across the region to allow FotoFauna to be more accessible to rural communities, schools, and those wanting to test out a camera before purchasing their own.
How do lending libraries work?
Anyone who lives in the counties of the libraries below can participate, but please note: to check out a kit, patrons must be over 18 and have an active library card. Under 18? Have your parent check out the kit and work together on placing the camera.
Each FotoFauna kit comes with a trail camera and tree strap, lithium batteries, an SD card, and a card reader for your computer, as well as all the necessary written instructions (like a wildlife ID guide and quick-start camera guide) to get started with the program. The included instructions are printed in both English and Spanish. Kits are checked out for 30 days, enough time to enjoy observing, documenting, and submitting a FotoFauna checklist for the species that visit your yard.
Pima County
Caviglia-Arivaca Library — 17050 W. Arivaca Rd., Arivaca, AZ 85601
Sky Island Alliance – Tucson Office — 3127 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719. Fill out this form to reserve a kit and we’ll contact you when it’s available. Pickup times are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and Wednesdays from 1-4 p.m.
Cochise County
Copper Queen Library — 118 Arizona St., Bisbee, AZ 85603
Douglas Public Library — 560 E. 10th St., Douglas, AZ 85607
Santa Cruz County
Patagonia Public Library — 342 Duquesne Ave., Patagonia, AZ 85624
Sonora, Mexico
Are you a student at the Universidad de la Sierra in Moctezuma, Sonora? UniSierra also has FotoFauna kits that you can check out! Email miguel@skyislandalliance.org for details.
Why should I check out a kit?
Keeping the community in mind, we’ve made these FotoFauna camera kits easy for everyone to use. They are great for anyone who is curious about what is living in their backyard.
The kits not only show how to set up a wildlife camera, they also include wildlife identification guides that teach users how to tell the difference between species like the four Sky Island skunks, mule deer and white-tailed deer, ground squirrels and tree squirrels, and many other animals!
Kits are checked out for 30 days, which gives patrons enough time to enjoy observing, documenting, and submitting a FotoFauna checklist for the species that visit their yard. Patrons are allowed to keep the digital photos taken by the camera — so consider posting yours to social media (Facebook or Instagram) using the #SkyIslandFotoFauna hashtag.
Each library only has a few kits on hand, so be sure to get on the waitlist — and have fun!
Help us keep making these kits by sponsoring a FotoFauna camera.