City Nature Challenge 2021: Bonner County, ID's Journal

Journal archives for May 2021

May 1, 2021

Sassy Clues: Challenge Day #2

In case you missed them, here are the clues to find Sassy TODAY, Saturday, May 1 until 6:30 PM:

  • Location is in a state park
  • Creeks running into and out of a lake at the site have the same name
  • Be sure not to park on busy highway named after twin brothers Adolph and Dilphus

And…here are the clues for where you can find Sassy TOMORROW, Sunday, May 2 until 6:30P:

  • Location rhymes with Kinnikinnick
  • Location named after husband and wife. Nicky donated the trailhead land in honor of her late husband, Mick

After 6:30 PM, she’ll be moved to the next location. Clues for that location will be here posted here tomorrow morning.

==

Congratulations to Idaho_Tom for winning the Day 1 CNCBC 2021 Trophy! He found Sassy at the American Heritage Wildlife Foundation east of Clark Fork. Kathleen St. Clair-McGee has done a wonderful job with the Nature Trail on her property! Reminder: You can only win ONE CNCBC 2021 Trophy. BUT, keep making observations today through Monday so you can be in the running for the CNCBC 2021 Champ Trophy (for the most total observations). As of now, susanbh has a commanding lead with 86!

==

You can watch the results live from all over the world here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021.

You can watch the Bonner County observations being made here:
http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-bonner-county-id

Will we win the Northern Rocky Mountain Challenge Trophy?? Check out our competition:
-Boise: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-boise-area
-Red Lodge: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-red-lodge-area

Boise is bringing the heat! Hats off to their organizers, and their supporting organizations in promoting the Boise Area Challenge!

==

Reminder: Dr. Jim Ekins will be at the WaterLife Discover Center in Sagle TODAY, Saturday May 1, 2021 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM. He’ll be teaching about aquatic macroinvertebrates and how to ID them. Do not miss this opportunity to speak with one of Idaho’s leading watershed experts! Learn about the Master Water Steward Program he administers. The WDC is a great place to make some observations, too.

==

Good Luck finding Sassy, and happy iNatting!

Posted on May 1, 2021 12:46 PM by geogehrig geogehrig | 0 comments | Leave a comment

May 2, 2021

End of Challenge Day #2

In previous posts, it was stated that, to win the CNCBC 2021 Champ Trophy, you’d need to make the most unique observations of different species over the 4 days of the competition. This would be the leader of Most Species category. If there is a discrepancy between the Most Observations # and the Most Species #, it’s probably because some of the observations remain Unknown. One the unknowns are resolved, over the course of the ID period between May 4-9, then the winner of the CNCBC 2021 Champ Trophy will be determined.

As it stands now, at the end of Day 2, patmeyers has jumped into the lead of Most Observations with 95!

There doesn’t seem to be a winner of the Day 2 CNCBC 2021 Trophy (no one seems to have made an observation of Sassy at Round Lake State Park). If that’s the case, maybe that trophy should be given to the extremely helpful and professional staff at the park to be displayed in their Visitor Center?

==

How is Northern Rocky Mountain Challenge Trophy competition shaping up?

  • Bonner County now has 727 Observations, 222 Species and 29 Observers.
  • Boise has 1,465 Observations, 338 Species and 91 Observers.
  • Red Lodge has 191 Observations, 99 Species and 19 Observers.

The trophy will be awarded to the site that gets the most Observers per capita. The respective population sizes of the challenges are:

  • Bonner County: 45,739
  • Boise Area: 242,160
  • Red Lodge (Carbon County): 10,725

What does this mean? For Bonner County to be in contention, it will have to at least triple the number of Observers over the final two days of the CNC.

To count as an Observer, all you have to do is make ONE Observation. How do you do it? It’s ridiculously easy:
1) Download the free iNaturalist app.
2) Create an account.
3) Make an observation (usually a photo, but a sound recording counts).
4) Upload it (it will be automatically counted for the CNCBC).

Here’s a good, short video of how to do it:
https://vimeo.com/162581545

There’s still time, Bonner County! We’re counting on Garfield, Dover, Sagle, Blanchard, Priest Lake, Priest River, Laclede and Oldtown to get on the map!

If nothing else, take some photos of plants in your backyard!

Posted on May 2, 2021 05:28 AM by geogehrig geogehrig | 0 comments | Leave a comment

Sassy Clues: Challenge Day #3!!!

In case you missed them, here are the clues to find Sassy today, SUNDAY, May 2 until 6:30 PM*:

  • Location rhymes with Kinnikinnick
  • Location named after husband and wife. Nicky donated the trailhead land in honor of her late husband, Mick
    (*To find Sassy today, you won’t have to walk far. If you don’t see her after walking a little while on the trail, you’ll be SURE to see her on the way back. She’s decided to be a little tricky for Day 3 of the Challenge.)
    And…here are the clues for where you can find on MONDAY, May 3 until 6:30P: Monday is the final day of the CNCBC, so that is last day to win one of the CNCBC Trophies.

  • Location is an Army Corps of Engineers site
  • You can find it by turning at a large lumber yard
  • Near a ferry crossing from over 150 years ago
    After 6:30 PM, she’ll be moved to the next location. Clues for the MONDAY location will be posted here, again, tomorrow morning.
    To qualify to win a CNCBC 2021 Trophy, send an email with CNCBC 2021 in the Subject line to cncbonnercounty@gmail.com as soon as you’ve made an observation of Sassy and 20 different organisms. Include your name, your iNaturalist user name, and contact information in the body of the email. The principal organizers of the CNCBC - the ones who know where she’ll be hiding - are not eligible to win the “CNCBC 2021” Sasquatch trophies. Previous daily winners cannot win a second daily prize, but they can win the overall “CNCBC Champ 2021” trophy, which will be awarded to the person who makes the most unique observations.
    ==
    You can watch the results live from all over the world here: https://www.inaturalist.org/.../city-nature-challenge-2021.
    And you can watch the Bonner County observations being made here:
    http://www.inaturalist.org/.../city-nature-challenge-2021...
    Will we win the Northern Rocky Mountain Challenge Trophy?? Check out our competition:
    -Boise: https://www.inaturalist.org/.../city-nature-challenge...
    -Red Lodge: https://www.inaturalist.org/.../city-nature-challenge...
    Good Luck, and happy iNatting!

Posted on May 2, 2021 01:56 PM by geogehrig geogehrig | 0 comments | Leave a comment

May 3, 2021

End of Challenge Day # 3

Follow along on the Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/City-Nature-Challenge-2021-Bonner-County-ID-106106278046164

True Story. Back when the Northern Rocky Mountain Challenge Trophy was but a twinkle in the eyes of the Bonner County, Boise and Red Lodge organizers, this meme was floating around. We joked that the loser(s) would have to concede “defeat” by using a catfish filter on Zoom. Idaho was pretty confident that Montana would continue talking catfish! 😊

No joke. Red Lodge has shown up. Here are the updated totals:
Bonner County: 1,044 Observations, 301 Species and 41 Observers.
Boise: 2,002 Observations, 437 Species and 108 Observers.
Red Lodge: 229 Observations, 122 Species and 24 Observers.

==

The good news. Bonner County added 12 Observers, and 312 Observations today. That’s impressive! We now have over 1,000 Observations in a 4 day period. (To put that in perspective, prior to the CNCBC, Bonner County had 3,919 Observations over several Years.)

==

The bad news. There is only one more day of the CNC, and that last day, tomorrow, is a working day (Monday). It’s the 4th Quarter and we’re probably going to need to put another 50 Observers on the board to match Red Lodge. It’s not impossible, but we’ll need to spread the word and encourage a BUNCH of others to join, and add at least one observation.

Remember: You don’t need to be a resident of Bonner County. You just need to be IN Bonner County for your observation to count in the CNCBC. Please Share this post with your friends and family! We…really…do need your 5th cousin from Fargo to participate! It’s just this EASY:
https://vimeo.com/162581545

==

“Win” or “Lose”. It’s been a wonderful experience! Thanks to all the folks who have participated so far!!

==

The Day 3 CNCBC Trophy goes to…(man it was close!)…susanbh. Congratulations! She just so happens to be atop the Most Species leaderboard as well. Will she stay there and win the CNCBC 2021 Champ Trophy?

==

Challenge Day #4 CNCBC 2021 Trophy. No more Sassy Clues: She’ll be at Riley Creek campground until 6:30 PM tomorrow, MONDAY 5/3. First one to find her -and- have 20 unique species wins it. After 6:30 PM, Sassy will finally be able to rest at her home, the WaterLife Discover Center in Sagle, until Monday, May 10. On that day, she’ll be at the East Bonner County Library for the Facebook Live Event at 4:00 PM.

To qualify to win the last CNCBC 2021 Trophy, send an email with CNCBC 2021 in the Subject line to cncbonnercounty@gmail.com as soon as you’ve made an observation of Sassy and 20 different organisms. Include your name, your iNaturalist user name, and contact information in the body of the email.

==

Good Luck finding Sassy, and happy iNatting!

Posted on May 3, 2021 04:29 AM by geogehrig geogehrig | 0 comments | Leave a comment

CNCBC - Final Day

Note: Observations made between April 30th and May 3rd can continue to be uploaded through May 9th. Final results will be announced on May 10th.

==

“What can one person do? Stop being one person. You don’t have to do it all. Other people are working all around the world on the same causes you believe in. Find them, join up with them. You’ll find your place in the choir. Choose what you love and devote yourself to it. That is enough."
~Joanna Macy

==

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.”
~Baba Dioum

Posted on May 3, 2021 02:57 PM by geogehrig geogehrig | 0 comments | Leave a comment

Come see Sassy at Riley Creek!

Who’s going to snag the last CNCBC 2021 Trophy? Sassy is right inside the gate at Riley Creek. Can’t miss her! She’ll be there until 6:30 PM today.

And you have until 11:59 PM tonight to get signed up/add observations.

Who can get to 100 Observations? Can we get to 1,500 Observations total?

==

We added 12 new Observers over night, but we need 112 Observers total to compete for the Northern Rocky Mountain Challenge Trophy. It's 4th and goal from a mile away. Need a Hail Mary play at this point.

Posted on May 3, 2021 10:29 PM by geogehrig geogehrig | 0 comments | Leave a comment

May 4, 2021

Awesome First CNCBC!

Thanks for taking the time, over the last few days, to get out and help document the incredible biodiversity in the county! The 4 day results are in: 1,305 Observations, 343 Species, and 56 Observers! A solid foundation has been put down for future, regular bioblitzes, and other citizen science projects. CNCBC 2.0 in 2022 is going to be much bigger and better!

Now, between May 4-9, the observations will be identified/confirmed, hopefully down to the genus and species level, so that they can achieve Research Grade status, and thus be eligible to be used in a variety of scientific studies. If you would like to help make or confirm identifications, please review this excellent webinar that the organizers down in Boise made: https://zoom.us/rec/share/MKj8ty6jZKZMbHHq3xx6ulCQNoz4-2eNz-B9DKIm9hQ-xC_w-4YvL4JPPn0pJONf.KPSP7xEO_Yz-NWl-

==

Here are some tips shared by thesciencecamel over in Red Lodge to double check your observations:

  1. Make sure you only have one observation per species. This could mean that there are more than one species in an observation, or two observations of the same organism. If you saw 3 different robins and have 3 different observations, that's fine! You just wouldn't want two observations for the same 1 robin.
  2. Double check that you have locations on each observation. Obscure any locations that you are uncomfortable sharing.
  3. Make sure your photo is uploaded. iNaturalist is being inundated with observations right now so I have noticed some observations not showing their photos. It may just take time but double check that your photo uploaded completely.

==

Final results will be announced on May 10th. You can see the up-to-date totals for each participating city here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021

Here are the links for the sites participating in the inaugural Northern Rocky Mountain Challenge:

The winner of the Northern Rocky Mountain Challenge Trophy will be the site that gets the most Observers/capita – and it looks like tiny but Mighty Red Lodge is the winner!

==

Mike Bauer of the East Bonner County Library is hosting a Facebook Live event on Monday, May 10 at 4:00 PM to announce the winners of the CNCBC 2021, CNCBC 2021 Champ and Northern Rocky Mountain Challenge trophies. Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/events/782272925738524

The CNCBC 2021 and CNCBC 2021 Champ Sasquatch trophies can be picked up at the library on Saturday, May 15 at 10:00 AM. Sassy will be there, so come see her!

Posted on May 4, 2021 05:06 PM by geogehrig geogehrig | 0 comments | Leave a comment

May 6, 2021

A Couple BIG Thank Yous!

1) Check out the new Northern Rocky Mountain Challenge Trophy over on the Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/City-Nature-Challenge-2021-Bonner-County-ID-106106278046164
Courtney "thesciencecamel" Long and her great team over in Red Lodge, MT created the concept and turned it into reality. It's 2' wide and 14.4" tall. Fittingly, Red Lodge wins it this year...but it's coming West in 2022!

Hopefully, we'll be able to attract more cities/counties to join us in the competition, some in Canada. Here are some possibilities:

And, maybe, we'll have a international Sister City to challenge as well. How about Dunedin, New Zealand:
www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-otepoti-dunedin

2) Derek Antonelli and the many local KNPS members have been very instrumental in helping the CNCBC achieve such a large percentage of Research Grade Observations. Thank you!!!

Posted on May 6, 2021 05:59 PM by geogehrig geogehrig | 0 comments | Leave a comment

May 9, 2021

Quick Reminders:

You have through 11:59 PM tonight (Sunday) to get any remaining observations submitted. Even if you’ve submitted all your observations, you can still help identify species! Identifications can help us boost our species count and are incredibly valuable.

==

Join us for the Facebook Live Event tomorrow, 5/10 @ 4P:
https://www.facebook.com/events/782272925738524

We will be announcing the trophy winners, and giving you some CNCBC stats.

==

Be sure to check out the CNC World iNat page here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021

And, again, here are the 3 CNC sites that are competing for the inaugural Northern Rocky Mountain Challenge Trophy:

Posted on May 9, 2021 09:25 PM by geogehrig geogehrig | 0 comments | Leave a comment

May 11, 2021

Transcript from the CNCBC Awards Presentation Facebook Live Event

Introduction (Mike Bauer)

A primary aim of the City Nature Challenges is to increase the number of people using the app and making observations. Did the CNCBC make a difference?

Bonner County (final totals):
-CNCBC Totals: 1,308 Observations of 356 Species made by 58 Observers
-Pre-CNCBC Bonner County Totals: 3,919 observations of 1,078 species made by 463 observers
-New Bonner County Totals: 5,329 observations of 1,188 species made by 505 observers

This represents a 24.5% increase in Observations, a 29.9% increase in Species identified, and 11.5% increase in Observers. So, definitely: the CNCBC had a BIG effect.

  • Similar increases were seen at the Boise and Red Lodge, MT challenges.

==

Local Sasquatch Trophies (Patrick Meyers)

There were 2 kinds of trophies created for the CNCBC:
1) CNCBC Champ 2021: Awarded to the person who made the most unique observations/identified the Most Species.
2) CNCBC 2021: Awarded to the people who found Sassy First and made 20 unique observations.

The trophies go to participants who are not part of the organizational team.

A special thank you goes out to Chad Butherus of Hard Art Studios for making them, and donating the “CNCBC Champ 2021” trophy. And to the Pend Oreille Chapter of the Idaho Master Naturalists for donating the smaller “CNCBC 2021” trophies.

CNCBC Champ 2021:

  • Susan Bates-Harbuck (susanbh) – 76

CNCBC 2021:

  • Day 1 (American Heritage Wildlife Foundation): Idaho_Tom – Tom Bokowy
  • Day 2 (Round Lake State Park): No one found her*
  • Day 3 (Mickinnick Trail Head): susanbh – Susan Bates-Harbuck
  • Day 4 – (Riley Creek, Laclede): No one found her*

*Since no one found Sassy on Day 2 and Day 4, these two unclaimed CNCBC 2021 Trophies are being awarded to the two people, not part of the organizer team, that had the next most number of species identifications.

Sheri Gaines (slgaines): 61 species
Patty Campitelli (pattycampitelli): 39 species

Winners of the CNCBC Trophies can pick them up at the East Bonner County Library on or before Saturday, 5/15 at 10:00 AM.

==

Northern Rocky Mountain Challenge Trophy (George Gehrig)
-Regional Competition Between Bonner County, Boise and Red Lodge, MT

The trophy was created by Mick Thompson and Alanna Anderson of Back Alley Metals in Red Lodge, MT. Magnets were made representing the mascots of each site so they can be moved in succeeding years. Additional magnets will be made in case other sites would like to participate in the future. It is being awarded to the site that was able to get the most people to participate per capita (making at least one observation), and it will be kept until next year’s City Nature Challenge. Here are the results:

1st Place: Red Lodge, MT – 0.26% (28/10,725)
2nd Place: Bonner County – 0.13% (58/45,739)
3rd Place: Boise Area – 0.05% (126/242,160)

Congrats Courtney and your wonderful team! Enjoy that trophy while you can! 😉 It’s coming to Bonner County next year!

It’s been a real pleasure collaborating with you, and Kristin Gnojewski and her super talented team in Boise.

==

Future Bioblitzes and Thank You (Preston Andrews)

Stay tuned: There will be another bioblitz in the fall: North Idaho Bioblitz: Fall 2021. The goal between now and the CNCBC Bonner County 2022 is to:

  • inspire other North Idaho counties to start their own challenges for 2022 (we’re here to help!), and
  • get 2,022 Bonner County iNaturalist users signed up and skilled at making observations. It’s a big goal, but that would still only represent 4.4% of the population of the county.

Thank You to all who participated, and to the partnering organizations:
East Bonner County Library, Pend Oreille Chapter of the Idaho Master Naturalists, Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society, Idaho Fish and Game, IDAH2O, University of Idaho Extension, Kaniksu Land Trust, Kalispel Tribe, Selkirk Alliance for Science, and Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.

==

Extra:

Here are some Canadian cities that participated, and who we will be looking to collaborate with next year:

==

And, maybe, we’ll be able to get a Sister City in New Zealand to join the fun!
Dunedin, New Zealand: 1,398
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-otepoti-dunedin

Posted on May 11, 2021 04:31 AM by geogehrig geogehrig | 0 comments | Leave a comment

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