iNaturalist: A Deep Dive
Galbreath Wildlands Preserve
10:00 am
– 2:30 pm
Technology that helps nature lovers learn, and share information about the things they find - while hiking a trail, walking a neighborhood path, browsing along the beach - enhance those experiences and add to the scientific repository through citizen science. Birders swear by Merlin and eBird, burgeoning botanists often choose PlantNet, but the number one application for connecting people around the world to nature is iNaturalist.
Over the past 15 years, contributions from the community have made iNaturalist one of the world’s most powerful nature platforms. So far, the iNaturalist community has:
- Created over 145,000,000 verifiable observations (adding about 1 million per week!)
- Grown to 2.7 million contributors
- Observed more than 430,000 species around the world
But wait…it can do much more for science and for you. Learn how to use iNat and discover the ins and outs that make this such a remarkably powerful tool.
Presenter:
Hailing from Oʻahu, Catherine (Cat) Chang learned Mālama ‘āina, a Hawaiian phrase that means caring for and honoring the land, from her Native Hawaiian family. The Bay Area is her home now, while continuing to care deeply for the land. An adjunct professor of Architecture at University of San Francisco, she directs Madrone Design Studio and advises institutions and governmental agencies in between forays into the wilds of nature. She is an active member of the iNaturalist board of directors and looks forward to helping us learn how to maximize our usage of iNat.
Details:
In this two-part program, we will visit the Galbreath Preserve in the morning and work alongside a cadre of iNat super-users to find and observe a wide diversity of living things. As we go, we will learn and further hone our skills in using this app on our phones. We will probably focus mostly on plants and insects, since they are always around and plentiful and can present intricate puzzles that iNat can help solve.
After we master the basics, we will go to the Yorkville Community Center for an afternoon deeper dive into this powerful tool, using our phones or laptops as you prefer. Both might be useful. You can come just for the morning exploration on the Galbreath Preserve, or for just the afternoon more academic dive, or for both.
Logistics:
We will meet at 10:00 at the entrance to the Preserve at 30720 Elkhorn Rd. in Yorkville. There we will form carpools to drive on the Preserve. We will need AWD or 4-wheel drive vehicles on the Preserve, so if you have one and are willing to drive, please let me know. You will receive more detailed information via email just before the event.
You will be asked to sign a waiver upon your arrival. All children and minors must be accompanied by a legal guardian or a group leader who can legally take on that role (e.g., Girl Scout group). No pets or smoking permitted.
We will go in light rain, but if the rain is heavy, we will notify you via email of cancellation.
What to Bring:
If you don’t already have an iNaturalist account, please sign up on your desktop computer for a (free) iNaturalist.org account. Bring your charged cell phone with the iNat app installed. It will be helpful, but not mandatory, to have played around a bit with the app in advance. Also bring lunch, water, sunscreen and insect repellent. Long pants and long-sleeved shirts are recommended, as are sturdy walking/hiking shoes. We will be doing a minimal amount of walking, but it will be over uneven, potentially steep, ground. Walking sticks might be helpful.
How to Sign Up:
Register at the link above. Each participant should register separately. Registration is free.
About the Center
Sonoma State University’s Center for Environmental Inquiry empowers university students to work with community members on the environmental challenges of the North Bay. Our mission is to create an engaged and environmentally ready society, one where all people have the skills to find solutions to the challenges facing our earth. SSU Preserves are open to everyone engaged in education or research. Reservations are required.