Help the Virginia Gray Fox Project survey wildlife across the commonwealth!
The Virginia Gray Fox Project (VGFP) is an ambitious statewide camera survey with the primary goals of determining the current distribution of gray foxes in VA and identifying how habitat, prey availability, and competitors impact gray fox landscape use. Limitations in our current knowledge of the gray fox in VA hampers conservation and management efforts for the species.
An adult gray fox in Craig County.
This project seeks to fill the knowledge gap regarding gray foxes in VA and to develop a gray fox management plan in collaboration with VA Department of Wildlife Resources. While gray foxes are the focal species of this project, the images we are collecting contain valuable data for other species of interest in Virginia, including but not limited to black bear, coyote, bobcat, elk, eastern spotted skunk, ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, and nine banded armadillo.
We are seeking additional funding to allow the VGFP team the opportunity to complete data collection and successfully adhere to timelines.
An adult black bear in Bedford County.
In 2024 and 2025, the VGFP team placed trail cameras at 915 locations across the mountain and Piedmont regions of VA, covering 25,000 square miles. In 2026, our team hopes to complete the statewide survey by placing cameras at ~400 additional locations in Virginia’s southern Piedmont and Coastal Plain. A camera survey of this magnitude and time frame has not been conducted before!
Between 2024 and 2025, the VGFP team placed trail cameras at 915 locations across the counties in purple. In 2026, the team will set up cameras at ~400 more locations in the orange counties comprising the southeastern Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Follow the Virginia Gray Fox Project on Facebook and Instagram for project updates and educational content about the species we capture on camera!
Anyone, anywhere in VA is invited to participate in the project! Next year the VGFP team will be working in the southeastern Piedmont and the Coastal Plain. Community collaborators can give the VGFP team permission to set project cameras on their property, or can contribute data from personal trail cameras to help us to fill in gaps! If interested, please fill out the contact form.
Your help is greatly appreciated as we plan for our final field season!
$15
Batteries to Run a Camera
A gift of $15 provides enough batteries to operate 1 trail camera for the entire 6 to 7-month field season!
$20
Camera Repair
Sometimes cameras get damaged by bears, weather, curious cows, etc. A gift of $20 covers the cost of repairing 1 trail camera!
$30
Daily Field Truck
VA is a big state, which means LOTS of driving. Each field tech travels 90-100 miles in a day. A gift of $30 pays for one day of rental and fuel for a single field truck!
$60
Week of Field Housing
There are 14,000 square miles of land area remaining to be surveyed in 2026. This will require at least 5 field houses for the team to base out of. A gift of $60 covers the cost of field housing for 1 week for the entire field team!
$75
Replace a Camera
Sometimes cameras get damaged beyond repair, and that makes us sad. But, a gift of $75 allows us to purchase 1 replacement camera, and that makes us happy!
$120
Pay a Field Tech!
Not only are our field technicians crucial for making forward progress, but they are hard working and amazing at what they do. A gift of $120 pays one field technician for 1 day of work!
$450
Keep Us Moving!
Our field team drives an average of 1,300 miles per week during the field season. A gift of $450 covers one week of rental and fuel for 3 field trucks - that's the entire field crew!
$1,000
A Full Week of Work!
A gift of $1000 will cover 1 technician for a week of pay, travel, field housing, and provide enough batteries for the cameras they can set in a week!