Graduate student leads gray fox conservation effort

When Victoria Monette was an undergraduate volunteer on Marcella Kelly’s long-term wildlife research project in Belize, she knew she had found her calling. The chance to work with camera traps monitoring jaguars and other elusive cats sparked her passion for noninvasive wildlife research.

Years later, that experience brought Monette to Virginia Tech, where she now leads a statewide study of one of Virginia’s most overlooked carnivores: the gray fox.

“I remember telling Dr. Kelly back then that this was the kind of work I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Monette said. “It felt right. You can learn so much from camera traps without ever disturbing the animals. I used some of the Belize data to analyze activity patterns of tapirs and jaguars for my master’s research. Marcella was on my graduate committee, and we stayed in touch since then. I always hoped I’d get the chance to come to Virginia Tech to study carnivores.”

Monette, now a doctoral student in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, launched the Virginia Gray Fox Project in 2024 with Kelly’s mentorship. Supported by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), the project is the first to systematically survey the distribution of gray foxes across the state. In its second year, the study has grown rapidly with nearly 1,000 cameras deployed and the majority placed on private land through community partnerships.

The findings so far are striking. In 2024, about 19 percent of the 423 camera sites in the mountains of Virginia detected gray foxes. This year, despite expanding the survey to include 492 locations in the Piedmont, preliminary findings show only 4.5 percent recorded foxes from the cameras placed so far. The team still has just over 100 cameras to take down this fall.

Gray fox camera captures have been clustered mainly in Pulaski, Montgomery, Roanoke, Franklin, Bedford, and Floyd counties and scattered across the central Piedmont. North of Interstate 64, including areas around Richmond and Northern Virginia, no gray foxes have been documented.

For Monette, the trend underscores why the project matters.

“Gray foxes are more than just a charismatic species. They’re mesocarnivores that regulate small mammal populations and help regenerate habitats by spreading seeds from the fruits they eat. Losing them could set off cascading effects that impact forests, farms, and even human health,” she said. “When you think about going for a walk in the woods or visiting a state park, those experiences are shaped by the diversity of the ecosystem. If species like gray foxes disappear, everything could change. That’s why I believe this work matters to every Virginian, whether you live in the mountains, the Piedmont, the coast, or the cities.”

Without gray foxes, rodent and rabbit populations could rise unchecked, leading to habitat degradation and more vectors for tick-borne diseases. At the same time, gray foxes themselves face pressures from habitat loss, urban sprawl, and competition with other carnivores, such as red foxes and coyotes.

But the study is capturing more than foxes.

“These cameras are a window into Virginia’s wildlife,” Monette said. “We’ve documented everything from bobwhite quail and elk to spotted skunks and even an armadillo. When the undergraduate students — and there are many — that I have trained sort through the images, they’re amazed at the diversity. It shows how alive Virginia’s landscapes really are.”

The project has become a model for citizen science. In total, 70 Virginians have contributed data from their own cameras with 39 participants this year giving 42 additional locations and 39 in the first season.

“It has been incredible to see people get excited about helping with research,” Monette said. “Landowners invite us onto their property, Master Naturalists share their own camera data and help to process data, and the public emails me photos. People want to be part of this. That makes me hopeful.”

The identification portion is a behemoth. Volunteers confirm or correct the information generated by artifical intelligence for every photo. To assist, 30 undergrads work on this each semester and Virginia Master Naturalists provide additional assistance.

Monette and Kelly also engaged state agencies and are currently building relationships with Indigenous nations to expand survey coverage.

“The more voices and communities involved, the stronger this project becomes,” Monette said. “We’re building connections among people who care about environmental stewardship.”

As the project enters its third and final field season, Monette hopes to fill gaps in statewide coverage and strengthen long-term conservation partnerships.

“The ultimate goal is to provide Virginia DWR with the data needed to make informed decisions about managing and protecting gray foxes and potentially other wildlife,” she said. “And along the way, we’re showing how much people care about the future of wildlife in this state.”

If you would like to participate in the camera research project on gray foxes, fill out this form. The team is seeking community members to help by allowing camera placements on their properties or by submitting their own camera footage. Participation will provide valuable data to better understand the gray fox population. The 2026 survey will cover the Coastal Plain region. Residents across the commonwealth are invited to participate in each subsequent survey regardless of location.