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FPRW has launched an exciting project for the nature enthusiasts in our area!

June 17, 2020

FRIENDS OF PORCUPINE RIVER WATERSHED has launched an exciting project for the nature enthusiasts in our area!

The FPRW just created an iNaturalist project! We invite you to explore, discover and record all the wonderful living species that you find in the Porcupine River Watershed area. This is a fun way to create an inventory of all living things around us. Anyone can explore and participate!
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/friends-of-porcupine-river-watershed

It’s also fun and easy for nature lovers of all ages! Open the PDF documents for instructions on how you can participate and learn! Don’t hesitate to ask questions! Thank you to Andrew Warren for the beautiful cover photo on the iNaturalist project page.

Let’s see how many species we can find in each of these categories:
Mammals, Arachnids, Birds, Insects, Amphibians, Plants, Reptiles Fungi and Lichens, Fish and Mollusks.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
Anyone of any age can participate. All you need is an interest in nature and access to a phone or camera. Find a critter, insect, animal, tree, plant etc – take a picture of it and upload it to the iNaturalist website or app. As long as the photo is clear enough to identify, your observation will contribute to the project!

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE YOUR SIGHTINGS:
1. If you do not have an iNaturalist account, create one using the iNaturalist.org website (or download the free App).

2. Explore your surroundings (anywhere outdoors, yard, trails, Porcupine Lake, etc) and take a photo of an animal, bird, plant, insect, etc. Make sure the photo is clear enough to identify the species. (Wild species only, no pets!)

3. Log in your account and submit your observation. Some cameras will automatically add your photo’s location. If you add the location yourself, make sure to zoom on the map as close as you can and choose the correct spot. You can also submit right from the iNaturalist App.

4. If you are unsure of the exact species name, enter it as a general category (plant, bird, moths and butterflies, mammal, amphibian, etc)

5. During the days following your submission, fellow iNaturalist users will confirm the species or help you get the correct identification. Go back and see what they are suggesting! It’s a great way to learn.

6. Have fun! Submit as many species as you like from as many categories as you can! There is no limit!

HOW WILL YOUR OBSERVATION BE ADDED TO OUR PROJECT?
Every time you submit an observation inside the boundaries of the Porcupine River Watershed on iNaturalist, it will be automatically be added to the project. We have also created a place called “Porcupine River Watershed” for easy reference.

HOW TO USE THE PROJECT TO EXPLORE AND LEARN ABOUT THE SPECIES THAT SURROUND US:
This project is a great educational tool; it shows us which species live in the area and it offers a wealth of information about each species. Since many iNaturalist users have been submitting data in our area during the past years, there is already over 600 observations totalling 372 different species in our project. Here is how you can explore this fascinating data:

1. Open iNaturalist.org website.

2. Choose “Community” (from the top tabs) and scroll down to “Project”. Write “Friends of Porcupine River Watershed” in the search bar.

3. You can explore species, stats and observers. If you scroll down you can view a map of the project boundaries with markers for each species submitted. You can also see the recently submitted photos at the bottom.

4. You can get information about each species by clicking on it.

WHAT IS A BIOBLITZ?
An event where people of all ages gather in a specific location to explore, discover and record as many living species as they can find in a determined period of time, usually during one specific day.

Although we can’t organize an official Bioblitz this summer, you can conduct your own personal Bioblitz. Just get outside, stay safe, and submit what you see to iNaturalist!

HOW TO CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION:
If you have an iNaturalist account, you can contact the project administrators directly from the project page. If you have a question or need help with this project, you can contact the FPRW Special Projects Coordinator at [email protected]

DON’T FORGET TO SHARE YOUR DISCOVERIES!
We would love to hear about your observations on our Porcupine Lake Information Facebook Group!

NEWS FLASH!!

We have exceeded 1000 observations on our FPRW iNaturalist Project! If you want to discover the wonderful species that have been observed within our Porcupine River Watershed, click on the link below and explore! Want to help us find more? Create an account, take a photo of a mammal, plant, insect, or fish and submit it to the site or the app. We can’t wait to see what else the community is going to find!

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Use the power of image recognition technology to identify the plants and animals all around you. Earn badges for observing different types of plants, birds, fungi and more!tis

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