Beaver Valley students showcase latest trail camera discoveries

The 2026 highlights from Beaver Valley Elementary’s trail camera program. (BVS PARENT GROUP)

PLAIN — The students of Beaver Valley Elementary have shared their annual highlight reel of wildlife caught on game cameras throughout the school year. The 2026 reel includes bear and bobcat cubs, head-butting mule deer, a cougar, wolf, Northern flying squirrel, and more.

The highlight reel is an annual culmination of a project in which students study local wildlife through game cameras, observing changes in the environment and animal behavior throughout the school year. It is facilitated by project lead Jeff Layton.

According to previous Echo reporting, the cameras are located within about 20 minutes of the school, placed along game trails and river banks. Over the last several years of the project, Layton and the students have figured out where to place these cameras through trial and error. They brainstorm together which direction, height, and locations will capture the animals they want to see.

Each month, Layton sorts the recent footage, sharing the highlights with students inside the classroom. As they go through the clips, the students are challenged to think about what changes in the environment might affect what types of animals and behaviors they are observing. Then, the classroom takes a field trip to another location to collect the memory card and check the batteries. While in the field, they take time to observe tracking signs and the plants in the area.

Last year, Beaver Valley fourth graders presented their camera program to state leadership at the annual Environmental & Sustainability Literacy Student Summit, hosted by Pacific Education Institute (PEI) and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). The Beaver Valley students, alongside the Wenatchee High School Earth Club, were two of only 22 school groups formally invited to present at the summit.

This winter, the school lost four cameras to the December floods, according to Layton. Those interested in supporting the project can reach out to bvsparents@gmail.com or donate via PayPal: Beaver Valley Parent Group.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media