LYSANDER, N.Y (NCC News) There’s a frequent saying online – go touch grass. It’s meant to encourage people to put down their screens and get outside… but now there’s an app designed specifically to be used by outdoors enthusiasts.
Beaver Lake Nature Center hosted an iNaturalist workshop to teach the technology to aspiring naturalists. The app is designed to be a sort of social media for sharing observations. Users can photograph or record wildlife, upload the images or sounds, and share them for fellow nature enthusiasts and researchers alike to enjoy. The data collected is used by research organizations such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help track ecosystems. “This overall is helping to democratize biodiversity science and connect people to nature,” said associate naturalist and iNaturalist ambassador Nora Penhollow. “With iNaturalist, you can access experts in their field from every corner of the world.”
But the app also serves another purpose. It brings nature enthusiasts together by encouraging them to share their discoveries.
“I met someone who is an expert on bumblebees because he came in and just started identifying all the bumblebees in the garden,” said Penhollow. “And now we are genuinely friends.”
To foster these connections, Beaver Lake Nature Center is hosting its inaugural BioBlitz on April 19th and 20th, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event invites “iNatters” and others to document as many species as possible and share their findings with the community.
Workshop attendee and aspiring master naturalist Sara Facteau plans to be one of the iNatters collecting data. “It’s nice to be connected to nature and learn what we can do to help take care of our native plants here,” said Facteau. “I’m looking forward to the project this weekend.”
The BioBlitz is free to participate in with park admission, and nature lovers with any level of experience are invited to attend. That accessibility mirrors one of the core tenets of iNaturalist.
“Everyone can access it just by going to our page and seeing the observations,” said Penhollow. There, you can “look at all these incredible things that people are seeing here at Beaver Lake.”
TRANSCRIPT
(MEGAN ACKER)
ACTIVITIES AT BEAVER LAKE ARE PICKING UP NOW THAT THE NATURE CENTER HAS THAWED OUT. BUT TODAY’S WORKSHOP STARTS INDOORS…
(NAT OF NORA TALKING)
NORA PENHOLLOW IS AN ASSOCIATE NATURALIST HERE AT BEAVER LAKE. SHE’S ALSO AN AMBASSADOR FOR I-NATURALIST – AN APP DESIGNED TO BRING EXPLORERS AND RESEARCHERS TOGETHER.
(ACKER)
WITH I NATURALIST… SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY CAN BE AS EASY AS SNAPPING A PHOTO.
AFTER THAT – ALL I NEED TO DO IS UPLOAD MY PICTURE AND IDENTIFY THE SPECIES. NOW, OTHERS CAN SEE MY OBSERVATION, COMMENT ON IT, AND USE THE INFORMATION FOR RESEARCH.
AND ACCORDING TO NORA, THOSE CONNECTIONS AREN’T RARE.
(NORA PENHOLLOW)
WITH I NATURALIST, YOU CAN ACCESS EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELD FROM EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD.
(ACKER)
AND THAT DOESN’T JUST SERVE A LEARNING PURPOSE.
(PENHOLLOW)
BY SEEING THESE PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING AGAIN FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, BRINGING THEIR OWN INTERESTS TO THE TABLE, THEIR OWN FAVORITE THING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD, IT CAN REALLY INSPIRE YOU TO LOOK CLOSER AT SOMETHING YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE CONSIDERED BEFORE.
(ACKER)
AND THAT GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE – CAN HELP YOU APPRECIATE YOUR OWN LITTLE CORNER OF THE EARTH THAT MUCH MORE.
(PENHOLLOW)
LOOK AT ALL THESE INCREDIBLE THINGS THAT PEOPLE ARE SEEING HERE AT BEAVER LAKE. LOOK AT THIS COMMUNITY WE’VE DEVELOPED AND, ALL EVERYONE CAN ACCESS IT JUST BY GOING TO OUR PAGE AND SEEING THE OBSERVATIONS.
(ACKER)
ASPIRING MASTER NATURALIST SARA FACTEAU EXPLAINS THE APPEAL THIS WAY…
(SARA FACTEAU)
I LOVE BEING OUTSIDE. I LOVE LEARNING ABOUT THE DIFFERENT PLANTS AND ANIMALS THAT GROW AROUND US HERE. IT’S NICE TO BE CONNECTED TO NATURE…
(ACKER)
AND MAYBE – SHARING THAT CONNECTION WITH OTHER NATURE ENTHUSIASTS IS JUST AS IMPORTANT. FOR N-C-C NEWS, I’M MEGAN ACKER, IN LYSANDER.