Spring into Spring
Hello everyone,
The California Fire Followers Project first began in March of 2021. During that time, we have accomplished so much together. A major accomplishment in that time was the addition to our 2021 California Fire Followers Project last February!
THANK YOU
I want to take some time to thank you all for all your support this past year and for continuing to contribute to the project. We are thrilled for what will come this season. We are currently at ~25,000 observations with over 1,500 identifiers and 1,800 observers. We cannot emphasize it enough that the California Fire Followers Project would not be what is without YOU ALL.
Details
Lose an hour, win some merch!
We are here to celebrate the 1 year mark since the launch of our 2021 California Fire Followers Project! With Spring just on the horizon, we are excited to see all the new observations as we “spring forward” to the arrival of Spring! As a quick reminder, daylight savings begins this Sunday 3/12! We encourage everyone who can access nature safely to make as many observations as possible starting this Friday (3/10) through the arrival of Spring on 3/20! We will be recognizing our top 3 observers with a Fire Followers Pin!
Resources:
As always, we want to provide you with some valuable resources to help you get started on iNaturalist.
The Real Spring [Plant Identification] Training
In case you missed our Spring Training early last Spring, check out the recordings here. Watch as our “coaching staff” for plant identification demonstrate how to sharpen your skills. boschniakia
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Wildflowers of the Bay Area - California Native Plant Society and POST
https://www.youtube.com/live/MRMmYmlO3lA?feature=share
Hey, Hey we’re the Monkees! We’re too busy evolving to put anybody down
Additionally, From Friends of the Chico State Herbarium, be sure not to miss out on this recording by Steve Schoening on Monkeyflowers!
https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/html5/html5lib/v2.85/mwEmbedFrame.php/p/670832/uiconf_id/29182902/entry_id/1_0fx6lrq4?wid=1_kghtigge
AI: Andrea vs Identotron - Getting the most out of computer-aided plant ID
Check out this webinar by Andrea Williams, a botanist who can help you get the most out of iNaturalist’s suggestions! A lot of us simply accept without question the computer-aided suggestions in iNaturalist, but check again! Is the plant suggested even found in that region? Does it match the description in a flora? Check out the recorded webinar for the tips and tricks to get the best ID suggestion to your ability.
Also, check out what is happening with our California OakWatch Project!
If you have not heard of the project already, I invite you to join and help us reach our goal to protect young oaks by collecting data and mapping where they are and are not!
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-oakwatch]
To help you get started with oak identifications, check out this identification guide:
https://usercontent.one/wp/www.globalconservationconsortia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Identification-Guide-for-Priority-Threatened-California-Oaks.pdf
California OakWatch Training Webinar
