In 2012, Pepperwood established North America's first Wildlife Picture Index (WPI) grid, consisting of 40 motion-activated cameras in the Mayacamas Mountains. There are 20 cameras at Pepperwood's preserve and 20 at Audubon Canyon Ranch's neighboring Modini Preserve. This expanded WPI network has captured over 8 million photos, providing a wealth of biodiversity data that spans over a decade and continues growing. Additionally, Pepperwood offers guidance on setting up camera stations and grids in the North Bay area.

Conservation Science Interns play a crucial role in analyzing the photos, transforming this vast amount of data into usable information that enhances our understanding of local animal populations and their changes over time. Our data set is shared with partners such as CDFW through an online wildlife camera database called Wildlife Insights.