iNaturalist and City Nature Challenge Workshops and Field Trips
Only two weeks till the Western Mass City Nature Challenge begins! We hope you are getting excited; we certainly are. Maybe you’ve been practicing uploading observations to iNaturalist. Maybe you are plotting out an efficient route that takes you to great natural areas for each day. Maybe you are listening to recordings of warbler songs, or brushing up on oaks, or assembling all your field guides in one convenient place.
And maybe you would like a little more instruction on using iNaturalist, or even some company in the field during the CNC. If so, we have organized some workshops and field trips for you; see below. The workshops include both training in using iNaturalist, before and on the first day of the CNC observation period, and identification workshops, on the day after the bioblitz. Please feel free to join any or all, but note that for some events, you will need to register ahead of time, as space is limited to reduce the impact to sensitive habitats. For other events, it helps if you let us know you’re planning to attend. If you would like to lead a CNC field trip to your own favorite natural area, let us know and we’ll add it to this list – that would be wonderful!
Heavy rain will cancel outdoor events, but if there are just light sprinkles, bring a raincoat. If you have any questions about these events or any other aspect of the City Nature Challenge, please do not hesitate to leave a comment below.
Learn iNaturalist for Nature Appreciation and Citizen Science
Saturday, April 15, 2023; 11 AM – 12:30PM; Du Bois Library, UMass, Amherst
This workshop begins in the Calipari classroom on the lower level in the Du Bois Library. We’ll get to know the iNaturalist app, how it works, and what the web interface looks like. Then we’ll step outside and put it into practice with our individual devices. Please bring a smartphone or tablet with the iNaturalist app already installed. To sign up, follow the link to the event page and register with your name and email.
iNaturalist Training Walk at Skyfields Arboretum
Saturday, April 22, 2023; 2PM – 3 PM; Skyfields Arboretum at Mt. Grace Land Conservation Trust headquarters, 1461 Old Keene Rd., Athol
Join Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust for an iNaturalist training with Lynn Harper. In preparation for our iNaturalist City Nature Challenge weekend, we will be learning more about how to use this app as a citizen science tool and exploring our local biodiversity. Join us for a stroll through the Skyfields Arboretum trails to look closely at the species that cross our path. Mount Grace relies on citizen scientists like you to help us learn more about the land we protect, let’s explore together! If you have a chance before the training, explore the full website at inaturalist.org. Before the event, please download the iNaturalist app onto your smartphone. To register for this walk, please e-mail Jess Bryant at bryant@mountgrace.org. Rain date is Sunday, April 23, 2PM – 3PM at Skyfields.
Learn iNaturalist for Nature Appreciation and Citizen Science
Friday, April 28, 2023; 11AM – 12:30PM; Science and Engineering Library in the Lederle Graduate Research Center, UMass Amherst
This workshop begins in the Learning Studio of the Science and Engineering Library. We'll get to know the iNaturalist app, how it works, and what the web interface looks like. Then we'll step outside and put it into practice with our individual devices. Please bring a smartphone or tablet with iNaturalist already installed. To sign up, follow the link to the event page and register with your name and email.
Learn iNaturalist for Nature Appreciation and Citizen Science - VIRTUAL
Friday, April 28, 2023; 2:30PM – 3:30 PM
This workshop takes place entirely online over Zoom. We'll get to know the iNaturalist app, how it works, and what the web interface looks like. This will include an observation taken live on the smartphone app and uploading previously taken photos through the web interface. To sign up, follow the link to the event page and register with your name and email. You will be sent the Zoom link.
Bioblitz at Hitchcock Center
Friday, April 28th, 2023; 4:30-5:30PM; Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West St. Amherst
Join Melanie Radik and Lynn Harper, the co-organizers of the Western Mass City Nature Challenge, for an hour or so exploration of the woods and fields of the Hitchcock Center. This walk is geared towards those who are new to iNaturalist and the City Nature Challenge. If possible, please bring a smartphone or tablet with iNaturalist already installed.
Bioblitz at Notchview, Windsor
Saturday, April 29, 2023; 9AM – 11AM; main entrance off Rt. 9 in Windsor
Join Lynn Harper for a hike through the fields and forests of the 3,000-acre Notchview property of the Trustees of Reservations. Lynn is a conservation planner, retired from the MA Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program. There is no limit to the number of participants for this trip, but please email Lynn at harperlynn@msn.com if you’re planning to come.
Vernal Pool Nature Walk
Saturday, April 29, 2023; 1PM – 3PM; Wendell
Join Karro Frost, Conservation Botanist with the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, at a private Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust property in Wendell to explore the wildlife of vernal pools. Space is limited to 15 participants. Before the event, please download the iNaturalist app onto your smartphone. To register, please e-mail Jess Bryant at bryant@mountgrace.org; she will send the address of the meeting place.
Bioblitz at Montague Plains WMA
Sunday, April 30, 2023; 9AM – 11AM; Plains Road at powerline (approach from Turners Falls Road only), Montague
Join Lynn Harper to explore the globally uncommon pine barrens and wooded hills of the Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area. Lynn is a conservation planner, retired from the MA Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program. There is no limit to the number of participants for this trip, but please email Lynn at harperlynn@msn.com if you’re planning to come.
Bioblitz at Arthur Iverson Conservation Area
Sunday, April 30, 2023; 1PM – 3PM; 67 Gale Rd., Warwick
Join Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust for our second City Nature Challenge event! Meet May Grzybowski, Mount Grace’s TerraCorps Land Conservation Steward, for a bioblitz hike at Arthur Iversen Conservation Area. May has worked in environmental education at Nature’s Classroom and is passionate about citizen science! We’ll be exploring all the area has to offer – mossy forest, vernal pools, and a beautiful washbowl falls. We will be trying to observe as many different plants and animals as we can! At Mount Grace we are using iNaturalist to learn more about the land we conserve and keep a record of the natural history of our forests. To register, please e-mail May Grzybowski at grzybowski@mountgrace.org . Participants MUST download the iNaturalist app to their phones before arriving at the event, as Iversen has limited cell signal, or be prepared to share devices.
Bioblitz at Whiting Street Reservoir, Holyoke
Sunday, April 30, 2023; 1PM – 3PM; Mountain Park Road (park just after crossing over I-91), Holyoke
Join Lynn Harper for a walk along the edges of this small reservoir at the base of Mt. Tom. The rich basalt bedrock of Mt. Tom supports many unusual plants, and we may see a Bald Eagle soaring overhead as they journey along the Connecticut River. Lynn is a conservation planner, retired from the MA Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program. There is no limit to the number of participants for this trip, but please email Lynn at harperlynn@msn.com if you’re planning to come.
Bioblitz at Quabbin Watershed, New Salem
Monday, May 1, 2023; 1PM – 3PM; Gate 29, Rt. 202 and Elm St., New Salem
Join Charley Eiseman and Lynn Harper for an easy stroll through woods and fields, past vernal pools and powerlines, to the northern shores of Quabbin Reservoir. Charley is a freelance naturalist based in western Massachusetts and the co-author, with Noah Charney, of the fascinating Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates; Lynn is a conservation planner, retired from the Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program. Space is limited to 24 participants. Please email Lynn at harperlynn@msn.com to register for this event.
Bioblitz at Alderbrook Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary
Monday, May 1, 2023; 6PM – 7PM; 839 Millers Falls Rd. (Route 63), Northfield
Join Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust for our third City Nature Challenge event! Meet May Grzybowski, Mount Grace’s TerraCorps Land Conservation Steward, for a bioblitz at our accessible Alderbrook Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary Trail. May has worked in environmental education at Nature’s Classroom and is passionate about citizen science! All ages are welcome to this event! We’ll be walking the short trail which leads to a beaver pond and we will be trying to observe as many different plants and animals as we can! At Mount Grace we are using iNaturalist to learn more about the land we conserve and keep a record of the natural history of our forests. To register, please e-mail May Gryzbowski at grzybowski@mountgrace.org . Participants should download the iNaturalist app to their phones before arriving at the event or be ready to share a device with others. Adults with kids can also download the kid-friendly app Seek.
Wildlife Species Identification with iNaturalist - VIRTUAL
Tuesday, May 2, 2023; 10-11 AM
This workshop takes place entirely online over Zoom. We'll get to know the built-in iNaturalist tools for species identification, as well as the rich online and print resources available at UMass for field guides and species ID tools. Similar guides may be available at your local library. You'll leave the workshop having contributed to at least one species ID. A two-screen setup is strongly recommended, to have Zoom open in one screen and your own iNaturalist account open in the other with the web interface, but it is not required. This workshop will be recorded and posted openly on the web. Registering indicates assent to be in a recorded session. To sign up, follow the link to the event page and register with your name and email. You will be sent the Zoom link.
Wildlife Species Identification with iNaturalist
Tuesday, May 2, 2023: 4-5 PM; Science and Engineering Library in the Lederle Graduate Research Center, UMass, Amherst
This in-person workshop takes place in the Learning Studio of the Science and Engineering Library. We'll get to know the built-in iNaturalist tools for species identification, as well as the rich online and print resources available at UMass for field guides and species ID tools. Similar guides may be available at your local library. You'll leave the workshop having contributed to at least one species ID. To sign up, follow the link to the event page and register with your name and email.
Wildlife Species Identification with iNaturalist
Tuesday, May 2, 7-9 PM, Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main St., Athol
Join us in-person at the Millers River Environmental Center as we add identifications to the CNC observations on iNaturalist. Bring your laptop (if that’s convenient, but it’s not necessary) and your field guides. We’ll learn how identifications work on iNaturalist, puzzle through the difficult species together, and tell stories about what we saw. Everyone is welcome; no registration is necessary.
---Lynn Harper and Melanie Radik, co-organizers
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