(editor's note: Historically, it has been believed that the collection of scientific data is only valid if performed by professionally trained experts (i.e. "Scientists.") But recently, a movement that emphasizes uniting public involvement with scientifically sound practices is beginning to blossom. This movement is called citizen science. Whether it's bird-watching or observing changes in a local plant, your input has value!
~All my Love, Boo)
Alice Eastwood, a teacher and self-taught botanist, contributed invaluable botanical knowledge of Marin flora to Marin County California and its scientific community. Her countless collections are housed at the California Academy of Sciences to this day.
By taking advantage of mobile applications, we have the ability to record data while hiking on our favorite trail, gardening in our backyards, or wandering a portion of the Pacific coast.
Not all "apps" record data, but questions can be posted to the web with answers provided in a matter of minutes. Some examples of these mobile applications and data recorders are Nature's Notebook, Project Budburst, Calflora's Observer, SciSpy, eBird, iNaturalist, LeafSnap, NestWatch, WildLab, Project Squirrel and the Great Sunflower Project.
A Message From The Elementals
Bring your loved ones out of their homes and back out into the sunshine. Share tips about your favorite flower or hiking trail. You will ignite an appreciation for the natural world within their hearts.
(The Elementals April 21, Year of the Light)
