Some years ago, a group of Friends members began adding data to a website called iNaturalist. Operated by the California Academy of Sciences, iNaturalist is an open access database where anyone can add natural history information through the web, and customize it for specific regions of interest and intended uses.
We set up a project called Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys to help refuge managers and others by building a documentary record of the biological resources of our two refuges. In the first year, 2016, our 22 observers have added 312 observations on 200 species in the refuges or nearby. In addition, 58 so-called identifiers–knowledgeable strangers for the most part–have viewed and confirmed, or extended identifications of the species we observed.
This is a great way for people who enjoy wildlife watching, birding, wildflowers, and nature photography to make a lasting contribution to the refuges.
To get a feel for iNaturalist, visit the website www.inaturalist.org. To add observations you must join, setting up a username and password. Then under Projects you can search for Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys and ask to join. You can see the observations of others, and add your own.
Any kind of observation can be included, but iNaturalist is most powerful when photographs and location information are provided. Prize-winning photos are not necessary, but especially helpful are ones that can help to confirm identifications. Location information can be provided by GPS, and some newer cameras have the ability to include GPS coordinates in addition to date and time with the metadata they store. Otherwise, iNaturalist provides maps that let you zoom in or out and tag the sites in which observations are made. The program even provides a way to indicate uncertainty, for example if you know that you identified a gopher tortoise somewhere in the Lower Suwannee refuge headquarters area, but don't remember the exact site.
Potential value to the refuge is enormous. Suppose you see a rare butterfly, capture a photograph, and provide location information. Your identification can be confirmed by other naturalists, making it "research grade" (perhaps overblown terminology), its location will indicate the kind of habitat in which it was found, and date and time will tell what time of year and what time of day it was active. Anyone concerned about the status of the population will know where and when to look for individuals. (If you're worried about collectors, you can hide location information from the public.)
Our progress so far is only a drop in the bucket. 200 species may sound impressive, but there are thousands of species yet to be recorded. Also, the more observations of each species that are available, the better information about its distribution and seasonal abundance within the refuges will be possible. For example, is a species present on Seahorse Key also present on North Key and the mainland? In both sandhills and swamps? And where do white pelicans hang out in the spring? Multiple observations of species will help to answer these kinds of questions.
We set up a project called Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys to help refuge managers and others by building a documentary record of the biological resources of our two refuges. In the first year, 2016, our 22 observers have added 312 observations on 200 species in the refuges or nearby. In addition, 58 so-called identifiers–knowledgeable strangers for the most part–have viewed and confirmed, or extended identifications of the species we observed.
This is a great way for people who enjoy wildlife watching, birding, wildflowers, and nature photography to make a lasting contribution to the refuges.
To get a feel for iNaturalist, visit the website www.inaturalist.org. To add observations you must join, setting up a username and password. Then under Projects you can search for Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys and ask to join. You can see the observations of others, and add your own.
Any kind of observation can be included, but iNaturalist is most powerful when photographs and location information are provided. Prize-winning photos are not necessary, but especially helpful are ones that can help to confirm identifications. Location information can be provided by GPS, and some newer cameras have the ability to include GPS coordinates in addition to date and time with the metadata they store. Otherwise, iNaturalist provides maps that let you zoom in or out and tag the sites in which observations are made. The program even provides a way to indicate uncertainty, for example if you know that you identified a gopher tortoise somewhere in the Lower Suwannee refuge headquarters area, but don't remember the exact site.
Potential value to the refuge is enormous. Suppose you see a rare butterfly, capture a photograph, and provide location information. Your identification can be confirmed by other naturalists, making it "research grade" (perhaps overblown terminology), its location will indicate the kind of habitat in which it was found, and date and time will tell what time of year and what time of day it was active. Anyone concerned about the status of the population will know where and when to look for individuals. (If you're worried about collectors, you can hide location information from the public.)
Our progress so far is only a drop in the bucket. 200 species may sound impressive, but there are thousands of species yet to be recorded. Also, the more observations of each species that are available, the better information about its distribution and seasonal abundance within the refuges will be possible. For example, is a species present on Seahorse Key also present on North Key and the mainland? In both sandhills and swamps? And where do white pelicans hang out in the spring? Multiple observations of species will help to answer these kinds of questions.
