Howard County Bird Club Motus Wildlife Tracking Station

Motus is an international research community working together to study the movement and behavior of birds, bats, and insects. These animals carry miniaturized tags that transmit information to stations placed across the landscape. This powerful conservation tool transforms how we understand and protect biodiversity. As of November 2025 there were 2347 stations worldwide that track movements of over 478 flying species from birds to bats to insects totaling over 61,097 individuals.

At the September 2023 HCBC Board Meeting, it was decided to explore the utility of having one or more Motus Wildlife Tracking Stations (MWTS) in Howard County. The Motus Working Group (MWG) formed in April of 2024 and chaired by Sue Probst, was to investigate whether it was feasible; if the answer was yes, to focus on where it could be placed, how it would be done, and who would do it. In September of 2024, the MWG enlisted the expertise of Gwen Brewer and Dave Brinker of Maryland DNR to advise on a Howard County-based MWTS. Gwen and Dave indicated that a Motus station located in or around Howard County Conservancy (HCC) would help fill in a west to east “gap” in the existing central Maryland Motus “fence line” running from the Appalachians to the eastern shore. Dave came to HCC and conducted a successful radio interference check.

The photo from 2024 shows Dave Brinker (second from right) at HCC for the interference check at the proposed MWTS site.  Also pictured are then-MWG Chairperson Sue Probst, and MWG members Mark Chandler and Tim Thompson. Gregg Petersen was appointed to succeed Sue as Motus Chair in September 2025.

At Dave’s recommendation, Aaron Coolman was contacted to acquire parts and perform the installation. Aaron is a veteran of tens of tower installations in the north-eastern US. Complications arose.  In December 2024, Aaron informed us he did not have the Maryland or Howard County certifications required to comply with HCC’s insistence on building, electrical, and zoning permits for their conservation area. Consequently, a contract was established with US Tower Services in January 2025 for the tower acquisition and installation and to arrange the myriad of proper permits. For the next eight months the project was bogged down acquiring building, electrical, and zoning permits and with a surveyor who had to update the HCC Site Development Plan at the insistence of HCC and the Howard County Zoning Department.

Finally, on October 23, 2025, the tower installation began with the foundation excavation, followed by the tower installation by USTS over the next few weeks.  Also during this time, graphic artist and Habitat Committee Chairwoman and Motus Working Group member Sue Probst designed the sign for the Motus installation. The sign is on the right in the first row of this page. All of the organisms in the illustration have MOTUS tags!

The install was completed with the connection and the Motus receiving equipment was powered up by Aaron Coolman on November 23, 2025. MWTS came on-line the next day, November 24, 2025, after Aaron completed necessary inputs to the Motus database. Alan Reich put a Motus tag on an Eastern Bluebird in November, 2025. (His illustration of a bluebird is on the sign mentioned above, which will be installed at the base of the tower in 2026.)

–Gregg Petersen