International Iguana Foundation 2024 Year-end Fundraising Campaign

Tools and Tech to Save Iguanas

They need it, and you can provide it! Conservation takes commitment, dedication, determination—and equipment, lots of equipment. Gear, gadgets, tools, technology, it’s all necessary to conduct effective fieldwork that will save the world’s most endangered lizards: the cool, colorful, and charismatic iguanas!

At IIF, we award grant funds to iguana experts who are on the front lines of wild iguana conservation and management. Getting them the gear they need to do their work is a big part of the equation. That’s why our year-end campaign for 2024 is focused on raising funds that will give our on-the-ground, hands-on colleagues the items at the top of their wish lists, as they head out into the field next year!

There are 46 species of iguanas, and two-thirds of them are threatened with extinction. Yet, iguanas are often overlooked in conservation programs. IIF is solely dedicated to saving wild iguanas and their habitats. Will you donate to fund the conservation fieldwork that is much needed to help them? Thank you for your generosity—and for being a champion for iguanas!

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What equipment is needed for iguana conservation fieldwork?
A lot more than you might think!

Below are just some examples of what iguana conservation researchers use to do their work.
Through our grants, IIF provides funding for their projects, including the necessary equipment. Overall, a typical field project can cost around USD $30,000. By donating, you help provide what these field conservationists need!

Getting to the Field

  • ATV/Motorcycle/Boat/Truck: $5,000-$35,000K
  • Fuel: varies
  • Rough terrain hiking boots: $150
  • Helicopter or boat transport: $500-$6,500, getting to an island, bringing in a generator, etc.

Living in the Field

  • Tents, tarps, rope, stakes, etc.: $10-$350
  • Backpacks and waist packs: $40-$100
  • First-aid kit: $30
  • Cell phone: $400
  • Walkie-talkies: $250
  • Solar charging station: varies greatly, can be up to $4,000 for a large field camp

Finding Iguanas

  • Drones: $500-$1,000, used for tracking iguanas, vegetation and habitat destruction surveys, etc.
  • Burrow-scopes: $100-$8,000, used to look for iguanas in burrows and tree cavities
  • Camera traps, batteries, and SD cards: $200-$500
  • Range finders and sighting compass: $100, to assess where iguanas are going and how far
  • Field binoculars: $250

Monitoring Iguanas: Keeping Track of Who’s Who

  • Gloves and iguana holding bags: $5
  • Capture poles and nets: $75
  • Capture traps: $150
  • Nest site enclosure materials: $150, used to contain and protect hatchlings

Understanding Iguanas

  • GPS: $400, mark locations and track
  • Processing kit/toolkit: $50
  • Weight scale: $125, it’s critical to weigh iguanas to measure growth rates
  • Sexing probes: $15-$100
  • Measuring tools: $25
  • Digital camera: $200
  • Heat gun: $50, to record the temperature of the iguanas and the environment
  • PIT tags (passive integrated transponder): $10 each, mark iguanas to find them
  • PIT tag reader: $400, to read the tag idenification
  • Bead tag supplies: up to $200, learn about this tagging: https://tinyurl.com/ymshss77
  • Genetics samples collection: up to $500, for tubes, needles, cooler, solutions, etc.
  • Field computer: $1,000 to store and analyze field data
  • Telemetry radios, receivers, antennas: $200-$1,500, locate iguanas in a large area

Sharing How Great Iguanas Are: Education and Outreach

  • Signs: varies, up to $500
  • Pamphlets and stickers: $1-2 each
  • Other swag to share the message: $10-100, T-shirts, hats, keychains, jackets, etc.
  • Coloring books, crayons, other supplies for school groups: $5-$10

Conserving Iguanas and Their Homes

  • Weather station: $100-$500, used to study temperature and rainfall for their effects on iguanas
  • Temperature loggers, readers: $20 -$50, used on the go in the field to assess ground temperature, air temperature, etc.
  • Densiometer, light readers, and vegetation grids: $20-$30, used to assess vegetation and sunlight and analyze the effects on iguanas
  • Plant nursery supplies for growing trees for reforestation: $500

What's It Like in the Field? Read Stories from the Researchers!

  • Net Management Plan

    Conservation researcher Jeff Lemm sings the praises of a proper net in his humorous take on past field adventures.

  • The Journey Begins

    Tracking Jamaican Rock Iguana hatchlings in the Hellshire Hills is no picnic, as student reseracher Niels van der Vegt discovered, but it is vital to protecting this Endangered species!

By donating to our 2024 Tools and Tech to Save Iguanas campaign, you will make a big difference in getting iguana conservationists what they need to work in the field next year. PLUS, thanks to a generous donor, your donations will be matched—doubling your impact! IIF is a 503(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and your contributions are tax deductible. We hope you will consider IIF for your year-end giving. We can’t do the work that saves iguanas without you!

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Thank you for helping us save iguanas!