Nebraskaland

12 Nebraskaland • July 2024 IN THE FIELD Do you remember the awe of exploring nature as a child? Many of my favorite memories stem from discovering the plants and animals that lived in nearby state parks. Flipping logs to discover what lived underneath. Sneaking up on frogs and turtles basking near the edge of the water. Constantly asking my parents, "What's this?" A new project from Game and Parks hopes to connect park-goers with the child-like wonder of taking a closer look at nature around them. The project, Biodiversity in State Parks, is an invitation to slow down, look closely and to share observations of the plants, animals and fungi you find in your favorite state park area. With more than 70 locations to visit — state parks, state recreation areas and state historical parks — Nebraska's Park System has something for everyone, including a variety of activities and amenities and a diversity of habitats to explore and wildlife to view. What is Biodiversity in State Parks? Biodiversity in State Parks is an effort to learn more about the animals and plants that call our state parks home. To do this, we are utilizing community science. Community science, also known as citizen science, refers to research projects that include community volunteers. For Biodiversity in State Parks, we are asking volunteers to upload their wildlife observations to the app iNaturalist. After creating a free account, users can make wildlife observations by uploading "evidence" in the form of photos or audio files, such as bird or frog calls. This evidence allows sightings to be verified. This is especially important in the case of rare species, species recorded in new locations and species of conservation importance. All observations made within the boundary of a park area will count toward this project. Tips for Making Quality Observations You can take images directly through the app, but it may be helpful to take pictures and upload them later. This lets you pick the best images to upload. Here are a few other tips: • Because you can upload multiple photographs for each observation, include different angles. • Frame your image — it can be helpful to crop an image to make it clear what the reviewer is focusing on. • Always complete the "What did you see" field. If you know something is an oak tree, but are unsure what kind, type or select "Oak Trees" from the list. iNaturalist has a helpful feature that generates a list of possible identifications. This is a helpful tool that may allow you to narrow down your choices. • Be respectful — getting a good photo is never worth negatively impacting wildlife. Whether you're participating in a naturalist program, attending a bioblitz event or just hiking the trails, you can contribute to science and learn more about the biodiversity in Nebraska using iNaturalist as you explore your Nebraska state parks this summer. For more information about using iNaturalist, visit inaturalist.org/pages/getting+started. By Alie Mayes, Community Science Specialist BIODIVERSITY IN STATE PARKS Participants of citizen science at Indian Cave, Denton Prairie, and Chadron State Park Bioblitz. RENAE BLUM, JUSTIN HAAG

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