Watershed Wildlife

The Yuba watershed is home to a rich diversity of wildlife — from western pond turtles basking on sun-warmed logs to black bears, mountain lions, and the many birds that rely on the mixed-conifer forest. We use trail cameras and field monitoring to document wildlife activity across the landscape, connecting our stewardship work to the broader web of life it supports.

Featured Video

Learn how to read the story written in a western pond turtle's shell — age, health, and history — from a local field biologist.

Wildlife biologist Jeff Alvarez explains what the shell of a western pond turtle can reveal about its sex, age, and history.

Trail Camera Gallery

Motion-triggered trail cameras placed throughout the watershed capture candid moments of wildlife going about their daily lives — often in places and at hours humans rarely witness.

American black bear adult
American black bear adult in meadow
American black bear cub closeup
American black bear cub in meadow
American black bear subadult
American mink
Band-tailed Pigeon
Bat in meadow
Black-tailed jackrabbit
Black-tailed jackrabbit
Bobcat
California toad
Columbia black-tailed deer tail
Columbian black-tailed deer buck
Columbian black-tailed deer buck
Columbian black-tailed deer daytime
Columbian black-tailed deer family
Columbian black-tailed deer in meadow
Common Raven
Dark-eyed Junco feeding young
Douglas squirrel
Dusky-footed woodrat closeup
Dusky-footed woodrat in culvert
Gray fox
Gray fox
Gray fox closeup
Gray fox with prey
Hairy Woodpecker on log
Hermit Thrush
Moth in meadow
Mountain lion
Mountain lion cubs
Mouse
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Northern flying squirrel
Pileated Woodpecker
Raccoon in culvert
Raccoons in culvert
Ringtail
Spotted Towhee
Striped skunk
Virginia opossum
Western gray squirrel climbing
Western gray squirrel closeup
Bobcat
Virginia opossum shaking in rain