Journal archives for July 2017

July 10, 2017

Babcock Nature Preserve Bioblitz July 22-23

Johnson State College is holding a Bioblitz at the 1,200-acre Babcock Nature Preserve tucked away in the Green Mountains near Eden Vermont. It has not had any significant biological inventory of any kind. A number of taxonomic specialists will be participating in this exciting exploration. This event will run from 9am on Saturday, July 22nd to 9am on Sunday July 23rd. There will be teams of volunteers, students, and scientists focusing on different species groups or different areas of the preserve. Public participation is welcome and there will be several educational sessions where visitors can learn more about the species that are being found and identified. If you are interested in participating contact Lisa Zinn at lisa.zinn@jsc.edu or join the Babcock Nature Preserve Bioblitz project on iNaturalist.

Posted on July 10, 2017 06:37 PM by kpmcfarland kpmcfarland | 0 comments | Leave a comment

July 18, 2017

Identify Anything, Anywhere, Instantly (Well, Almost) With the Newest iNaturalist Release

new version of the California Academy of Sciences’ iNaturalist app uses artificial intelligence to offer immediate identifications for photos of any kind of wildlife. You can observe anywhere and ask the computer anything. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and it seems like it mostly works. It is completely astonishing. One iNaturalist user compared it to getting your hands on a real-life Star Trek tricorder.

Read more at https://baynature.org/article/identify-anything-anywhere-instantly-well-almost-newest-inaturalist-release/.

Posted on July 18, 2017 03:41 PM by kpmcfarland kpmcfarland | 0 comments | Leave a comment

July 28, 2017

SOS! Survey Our Shorelines for Shells!

Do you like to wander the shorelines of rivers, streams and lakes? Maybe you are a beachcomber and enjoy collecting shells. We need your help with the Vermont Freshwater Mussel Survey. It is easy and fun. Anyone can help! Visit the basics of freshwater mussel biology, identification, how to conduct shoreline surveys and how to submit your data to our Vermont Freshwater Mussel Survey project on iNaturalist.

Freshwater mussels need clean water, suitable habitat, and healthy fish assemblages. Vermont's Wildlife Action Plan, a proactive examination of the health of Vermont's wildlife, provides a blueprint for wildlife conservation for everyone from government agencies, to nonprofit organizations, and private landowners. In Vermont, 13 of the 18 known species are considered 'Species of Greatest Conservation Need' by the Plan. And one of the highest priority actions is to obtain information on distribution and abundance of each species. From the common to the rare, we need your help in recording locations of freshwater mussels in Vermont. Nearly everyone knows what a mussel shell looks like and many of you are armed with a camera. Help us find them.

You can now download an annotated checklist of the freshwater mussels of Vermont. This list includes information on range, conservation status, and morphology, and other key identification factors.

Download an annotated list of Vermont's freshwater mussels

Posted on July 28, 2017 01:26 PM by kpmcfarland kpmcfarland | 0 comments | Leave a comment

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