3 Kinds of Radio Tracking Collars to Monitor Island Foxes

Look who received a GPS tracking collar that you helped fund!

 

This young female island fox lives at the tip top of Santa Rosa Island in Channel Islands National Park. The GPS collar she's wearing was refurbished with donations to Friends of the Island Fox. The movements of this fox, documented by her collar, will help tell the story of her life: Where and how large is her territory? What resources can she access? Combined with dietary info, it will reveal how she is interacting with the island ecosystem.

 

VHF Collars - The Original 

As island fox populations recovered from near extinction on four islands, individuals released back into the wild were collared with VHF radio-tracking collars to monitor their survival. (video of Senior Biologist for Channel Islands Park tells the story of island fox collapse of 1998–2000) VHF collars provide the location of an individual island fox at a specific moment. Biologists in the field are able to use hand-held antennae to triangulate the island fox's location. If a radio-collared island fox stops moving for 6–8 hours, the collar has a sensor that changes the signal from a "live-animal" beep to a possible "mortality" beep. This allows the quick retrieval of island fox bodies so the cause of death can be determined and steps can be taken to protect the island's entire island fox population.

In 2026, FIF's goal is to raise funds to refurbish 15 VHF radio collars for San Miguel Island. Cost to refurbish a VHF collar: $220  

 

GPS Collars - More Info/Bigger Price 

Initially, GPS tracking collars were too large for female island foxes to wear. Today, modern GPS and battery technology provides for a smaller collar with less weight that can be worn by both male and female island foxes. GPS vs VHF collars

GPS collars document an individual island fox's location several times a day for months to a year. This data can now be downloaded remotely to allow researchers to track movement patterns, territory size, and overlap with other collared individuals without having much of an impact on wild island fox behavior. These collars include VHF capabilities and sometimes have additional abilities, like accelerometers that document movement patterns over 24 hours. 

A new GPS collar for an island fox can cost $2400. GPS collars used in prior research projects for island foxes and San Joaquin kit foxes can be refurbished at a much reduced cost.

In 2026, FIF's goal is to raise funds to refurbish 12 GPS tracking collars for Santa Rosa Island. Cost to refurbish a GPS collar: $500

Island fox with new Digipeater collar in 2025

Digipeater Collars - New Technology and New Strategy

Digipeater collars include VHF capabilities, but they interact with a series of antennae stations. An island fox within signal view of the antennae is automatically check-in and reported as alive and well. Digipeater collars don't record precise movement like GPS collars, but they monitor island fox survival while reducing staffing hours in the field. More on digipeater collars and system

Sustainable monitoring of island fox survival requires reducing costs. FIF is assisting with the transition to monitoring island foxes on Santa Cruz Island with the Digipeater system.

FIF has already raised funds for 15 new Digipeater collars in 2026. Now our goal is to raise funds for 3 additional antennae stations ($2000 each). 

 

No matter the type of tracking collar, protecting island foxes requires monitoring! Tracking collars provide the best opportunity to monitor island foxes while they live their wild lives. 

Island Foxes Teaching the Next Generation of Field Biologists

For the past two years, Friends of the Island Fox has had the honor of funding all of the new and refurbished fox tracking collars for Santa Cruz Island–but this summer, these collars were able to support more than just island fox monitoring and research.

 

As part of Paso Robles High School's Field Studies Collaborative program, a group of 25 students ranging in age from 15–18 spent a week on Santa Cruz Island, learning about its history and ecosystems. The program includes student presentations, expert workshops on a variety of topics, and field experience, like vegetation sampling and plant identification.

 

This past year, FIF board member Justin Purnell expanded the program to include trapping and working with island foxes, giving students an opportunity for hands-on experience working with the island's (very adorable) apex predator.

Justin isn't new to Paso High's program. Taking the class, during his junior year at Paso High, inspired his own path forward in wildlife biology. Since then, he has been a volunteer and chaperone on the trip, which is now in its 34th year.

 

The students (and other chaperones) were blown away by the experience of working with the island foxes. For many of the students, it was their first time seeing wildlife up close–and the impact cannot be overstated. Some were moved to tears and many of them expressed an interest in continuing their education in not only wildlife biology, but a host of other careers that support conservation.

Here are some of their reactions, in their own words:

• "Working with those foxes was such an amazing experience and changed my life. I thought I had my future figured out, but seeing what Justin does on the island threw a wrench in my plans. Now I think I want to go to college and study forestry. I would never have looked into or even thought about this as my career path if I didn't go on this trip." - Hannah, 16
• "It was hard to believe that doing something so special as a career could be more than a dream, but after getting to experience working with the foxes firsthand, I now know that doing work like this could be my reality." - Jordan, 17
• "It was incredible to see the foxes close up and to be a small part of helping to preserve this endemic species. This is one of the coolest things I've ever gotten to do, and it really drove home for me the importance of preserving nature. I get emotional thinking about it! I am forever grateful for this experience." - Ava, 15
• "When I was younger, I was absolutely obsessed with animals and was set on working with them as an adult. As I grew up, I lost faith that I would be able to have a stable career working with wildlife. Watching Justin work was super emotional because I felt that love and interest in wildlife return. This trip totally changed my plans for my future–I am now planning to go into wildlife conservation." - Divy, 17
  

 

These experiences, and the impacts that can ripple out from them, are the reason that we do this work. We are happy that our funding of the collars was able to help support this experience for Paso High's field studies program and are excited to find other ways to support both the island foxes and the next generation of wildlife conservationists. Article by Justin Purnell 

Fox Foto Friday - Island Foxes Being Counted

 

What's the word from the northern Channel Islands?

NPS biologist Juliann Schamel says the "season is going well so far, we just caught our 100th fox of the season yesterday!"

If you look closely, you can see the dark squared-off battery end of a radio collar beneath the chin of the captured island fox.

Friends of the Island Fox funded its 417th radio-tracking collar last month. New radio collars arrived for deployment on three islands!

Your donations provide radio collars to monitor island fox survival. Help Island Foxes

More about how biologists capture island foxes for health checks 

Radio Collars Arrive for Summer Health Checks!

You Did It!

 

These refurbished radio collars are being prepared for deployment during island fox health checks on San Miguel Island in the next few weeks.

The Channel Islands National Park fox biologists tie bright pink ribbons on radio collars and mark the ribbon with the collar's ID number and radio frequency. Pink makes it easy to find the collar in a dark backpack. The ribbon can quickly be removed and the information on it entered into field notes, after the island fox has been released.

 

Having the info on the ribbon helps the biologist minimize the time they spend physically in contact with the island fox.

 

Island foxes do not have to be tranquilized during health checks. Special muzzles that cover their eyes help to keep them calm. However, it is a priority that wild island foxes are handled only when necessary and for the shortest amount of time possible.

 

Donors like you funded:

• 26 refurbished radio collars 
• 20 new radio collars
• and $1,036 in rabies vaccine (to vaccinate 650 island foxes)
  

that arrived this month for deployment across San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz Islands. Rabies vaccinations will also protect Santa Catalina Island foxes.

Radio collars monitor island fox survival

More about island fox health checks

Fox Foto Friday - Radio Collars For National Fox Day

photo courtesy of NPS

Happy National Fox Day!

Meet F269, she's a young island fox on Santa Rosa Island and she's been fitted with a radio collar funded by YOU!

 Not every radio collar is funded by a single large donation. Seven of the new radio collars currently being fitted on island foxes across the northern islands were paid for by multiple small donations. 

$20 here and $50 there quickly adds up to $220 to refurbish a radio collar or $350 to purchase a new radio collar.

Bringing small donations together Friends of the Island Fox has provided 263 radio collars for island foxes over the past 16 years.

Make a Difference for Island Foxes!

19 radio collars are being refurbished RIGHT NOW. 

FIF still needs to raise funds to pay for 11 of those radio collars. 

Every little bit will help reach that $2,420 goal for island foxes.

Why are radio collars important?

See an island fox released wearing its radio collar. 

Help Island Foxes this Fox Day!

DONATE through the secure link DONATE button on the upper right of the screen.

Fox Foto Friday - 250 Radio Collars To Date

Mike Watling, Chair of FIF's Board of Directors, recently took this photo of an island fox wearing a radio-tracking collar just at dusk on Santa Rosa Island. 

Did you help fund this radio collar?

Since 2005, Friends of the Island Fox has been committed to funding radio-tracking collars for island foxes. In 2006, FIF donors funded 10 radio collars for island foxes being released from captive breeding back into the wild. See video of captive-born island foxes being released in 2006.

In 2021, donors like you funded our 250th radio collar. This landmark collar will go on an island fox on Catalina Island this summer. 

Today island foxes live their lives running free in the wild. Individuals with radio collars help alert biologists to threats for the entire island population. Radio collars also monitor specific foxes recovering from health challenges or injury.

Meet two island foxes with radio collars: F257 and Vixen

FIF is committed to raising funds for an additional:

• 15 new radio collars at $350 each
• 19 refurbished radio collars at $220 each

These radio collars and vaccinations are needed for summer 2021. With your help island foxes will continue to thrive in the wild long into the future.

 

Fox Foto Friday - From Refurb to Rome

You've given these radio collars new life and now they are headed to ROME!

Friends of the Island Fox and The Nature Conservancy are working together. FIF funded the refurbishment of 10 radio collars for Santa Cruz Island in 2020. The collars were finished last week and now they are on their way to Rome, Italy, where TNC is having them fitted with specialized accelerometers. 

This additional technology will enable researchers to get a more accurate picture of island fox movements on a daily basis. 

How much of an island fox's time is spent looking for food? How much of their day is spent inactive? What time of day are island foxes most active?

These specialized radio collars will be fitted on island foxes this summer on Santa Cruz Island.

Your donations made these radio collars possible. Working together we can build our knowledge of island fox behavior and help to keep them safe in a changing world.

Fox Foto Friday - Time for Health Checks!

Across the Channel Islands, island foxes are being counted and given health checks. This island fox on Santa Cruz Island also received a refurbished radio-tracking collar funded by Friends of the Island Fox. See her as she is released.

For the next three years this radio collar will tell biologists that this island fox is up and moving around in its environment. It will also give off a mortality signal to alert biologists if something should happen to this individual island fox. Rapid response to mortalities enables a quick response to disease or threats to other island foxes. 

What are the current threats to island foxes in 2019?