Candid cameras

Twice a year, Paul Jensen mixes eau de skunk, also known as skunk essence, and puts it in dozens of thumb-sized canisters punctured with holes. It’s an outdoor job, usually done on a windy day. He wears a hair net, rubber gloves and old clothing. The substance solidifies with the help of petroleum jelly. It’s then sealed and stored in odorless zippered bags.

The stinky work will pay off. It will attract wildlife to dozens of trail cameras stationed around the Adirondack Park.

Jensen, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Environmental Conservation and an adjunct faculty member at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, runs the Adirondack Inventory and Monitoring Camera Trap Network. The network’s goals are to collect and share data on wildlife populations, monitor species particularly sensitive to climate change and give students in the region real-world training. It