HABITAT MANAGEMENT
solar panel is bracket-mounted to the hangar, and coaxial cables are suspended between the antennas and the hangar. The receiver (CTT Sensor Station), a 12 Volt battery, and a charge controller are housed inside the hangar, alongside tractors and other game lands equipment. The Mud Creek Motus Station, located near Asheville Airport, was constructed in February 2024. This is another off-the-grid, dual mode station. However, given the low topography along the French Broad River, the team installed shorter antennas with fewer elements. This station is built on a raised wooden platform to clear floodwaters. It shares the platform with NCWRC’s Mus- kellunge PIT tag reader station. The Sensor Station, 12 Volt battery, and charge control- ler are housed inside a locked steel box that is bolted to the floor of the platform to pre- vent theft. The WH Silver Game Land Motus Station is located in the central mountains, west of Asheville. The station sits within meters of the game land’s border with Great Smoky Mountains National Park and will provide coverage into the Park. This is another dual mode, off-the-grid station with all compo- nents, including the receiver and battery, mounted on a wood utility pole. This instal- lation required elk-proofing and bear-proof- ing. Subsequent trips to check the receiver or battery will require climbing the pole. These three stations join NCWRC’s first Motus station installed at The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center near Highlands, NC in late 2022. Staff are preparing detailed summaries of the design elements for each station for future reference and posting QR codes that take visitors to more information on the Motus website.
CHRIS KELLY/NCWRC
Kendrick Weeks connects the antennas to the receiver at WH Silver Game Land. The battery and charge controller are housed inside a battery box, mounted on a shelf bracket. The solar panel has its own mast.
CHRIS KELLY/NCWRC
The Sensor Station, 12 V battery, and charge controller are housed inside a locked steel box, which is bolted to the platform.
72 2024 Wildlife Diversity Program Annual Report
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