For the last year, volunteers in Issaquah have been monitoring wildlife cameras to better understand animal movement when people are not present.
ISSAQUAH, Wash. —
A grassroots volunteer group that uses hidden cameras to quietly document and monitor Washington animals is now expanding.
The Issaquah Alps Wildlife Camera Project, a partnership between the Issaquah Alps Trails Club and the City of Issaquah Parks Department, has placed five motion-sensor cameras on public land, with funding secured for 10 more to be deployed soon. The goal: understand the animals in our own backyard and educate the public on how to live in tandem.
The cameras are hidden on public land in and around Issaquah. About a dozen volunteers check the cameras every few weeks to see what has wandered past.
Alex Brown, the project’s coordinator, said the effort grew out of a personal curiosity. He had set up a few cameras behind his house after spotting bears and other animals passing through his driveway, wondering how much wildlife was slipping by unnoticed. Fundraising for the first camera began at the end of 2024, and the first unit went up in March 2025.
“It was very eye-opening just how much wildlife is out there when we’re just not around to disturb it,” Brown said.
The cameras have captured bear cubs, deer, cougars and more moving through the forest. Brown said he has spotted mountain lions about 15 times over several years of watching camera footage. While cougars tend to draw the most excitement, he said the goal is education, not alarm.
“Our mission is a little more edutainment,” Brown said. “Using that footage and the visibility it brings to raise awareness about recreating responsibly, coexisting with wildlife in our neighborhoods.”
The group shares footage on social media and has expanded its outreach to school presentations and the city’s annual Wildlife Coexistence Day event. Brown said the animals captured on camera are a reminder that Issaquah’s proximity to nature is a gift that comes with responsibility.
“It’s not something we need to feel threatened by, but it’s a call for us to be responsible,” he said.
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