Citizens needed for weekend project

Wyoming BioBlitz seeks to document fauna and flora

Posted 7/16/20

All citizen scientists are being called upon to step outside this weekend and participate in an attempt to document the state’s biodiversity. Everything that lives on the landscape, flora and …

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Citizens needed for weekend project

Wyoming BioBlitz seeks to document fauna and flora

Posted

All citizen scientists are being called upon to step outside this weekend and participate in an attempt to document the state’s biodiversity. Everything that lives on the landscape, flora and fauna, and willing to have its picture taken, is wanted.

If you have a cellphone or a camera and computer, you qualify. The Wyoming BioBlitz is an amazing opportunity for members of the public to engage in science and conservation, and help land managers collect important data, said Trevor Bloom, The Nature Conservancy’s phenology scientist.

“Each year, people from across the state help Audubon Rockies, The Biodiversity Institute and The Nature Conservancy collect key data on common and rare species in Wyoming,” he said.

Traditionally, the effort meets in a specific location in need of a biodiversity survey and exhaustively note all the plants, mammals, birds, and invertebrates found. “This year due to health concerns, we’re going digital,” Bloom said.

The groups are enlisting iNaturalist, an online social network of naturalists, citizen scientists and biologists built on the concept of mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity across the globe. iNaturalist has a mobile app or can be accessed through its website.

“This is our 11th year, but this is obviously the first time that we’re not doing the BioBlitz at a specific location,” said Jacelyn Downey, education program manager for the Audubon Society’s Rockies chapter. “We’ve already had more registrations this year than we’ve had in years past and we’re still working to get the word out.”

Anybody in Wyoming “with any skill level” is encouraged to join in the project, Downey said. “They do not have to be an expert in identifying the plants and animals.”

Once registered through BioBlitz, volunteers only need to go out into the landscape and take photos of the living things they see. Then the photos and locations will be uploaded to the app and sorted by assistants for the program.

There are a lot of places in Wyoming where researchers don’t have great data on plant diversity, Downey said. The information will not only help identify plants and animals in the state, but also document nature’s calendar, or phenology of participants’ home range.

“This is a really wonderful family activity and kids really get excited about it,” said Bebe Crouse, regional spokesperson for The Nature Conservancy. “We think the BioBlitz is a great way to get people in touch with nature in a very personal way. Even though people won’t be gathering together in one location, this year, by going statewide, people will be able to explore the plants, insects and other wildlife that is right in their own backyards.”

There are over 2.8 million users of the iNaturalist app worldwide.

“Wyoming is under-collected for this app, so any and all data collection and observations will be a huge step towards cataloging our biodiversity,” Downey said.

Participants need to register with BioBlitz prior to joining in the fun, which runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All participants are eligible to win prizes. For more information, visit www.wyobiodiversity.org.

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