Students at Pittsburg State University are conducting a statewide project in search of the rare spotted skunk species.

Jenell de la Pena and Daniel Benson, students of Associate Professor Christine Brodsky are surveying 18 counties in Kansas, which include Anderson, Barton, Butler, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cowley, Crawford, Ellis, Finney, Ford, Gray, Labette, Montgomery, Sedgwick, Sumner, Trego, Wilson, and Woodson counties.

To facilitate their quest they are seeking property owners in those counties who are willing to allow them to mount a motion-activated camera to a tree or t-post for a few months. They will bait the camera with a can of sardines. When they review the data, they will be happy to share with property owners all the mammals documented on the property.

Benson says that private land access is integral to their study and they greatly appreciate your help. Contact either Benson or Pena at ksspottedskunk@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like to hear more about the spotted skunk research project.