Greetings, iNaturalists!

Thank you to all of you who participated in this years 'Fruiting Frenzy' BioBlitz. I wanted to give a recap of this years results.

We had three observers contribute nine observations over the course of the BioBlitz. Each observation is also a unique species - score for biodiversity!

Week 1: @kathpants added fruiting stage observations of Bluebead lily and Partridge berry. Check out those wonderful colors!

Week 2: @drewdlestrudel spotted a warbling vireo with the help of the merlin app, and @pateagle posted a beautiful steeplebush.

Thanks all for your participation in this years BioBlitz :)
Luis

Hello iNaturalists,

Unfortunately the hike to the Richardson Overlook in collaboration with Mt. Grace Land Trust has been cancelled due to weather. Keep your eyes peeled for next year!

Stay safe and happy BioBlitzing!
Luis

Greetings iNaturalists!

The BioBlitz is officially underway!! For today's post, I wanted to give some tips and tricks for taking observations.

Location: Anywhere along the NET corridor! We encourage project members old and new to go out into the NET corridor (seen here for MA and here
for CT ) and submit as many observations as possible! This event is intended to increase our data used for AMC's climate research, as well as encourage new members to join.

Timing: Interested in seeing animals? Early mornings and late evenings will give you the greatest chances of seeing something cool! In fact, last week I had a black bear (Ursus americanus) walk through my yard as I enjoyed my early morning coffee. Focusing on plants? You are in luck, because anytime will work!

Safety: It is a good idea to share an itinerary with a friend or family member, especially if you are planning to go somewhere remote. Consider bringing a snack, water, and insect repellent regardless of the length of the hike you intend to be on– you never know how long you may find yourself out in the woods!

Would you rather participate from the comfort of your own home? We can always use help with adding identifications to observations and curating observations to the project. Did you know that you can also take observations indoors? Hangout by a window (perhaps there is a bird feeder close by) and take photos of the flora and fauna you see! Any interesting visitors?

And now for the big announcement…

In person event: I am super excited to announce that AMC and Mt. Grace Land Trust are teaming up for a community science data collection hike on Friday, July 21st to the Richardson Overlook in Northfield, MA! Event details can be found on Mt. Grace’s website here.

I hope to see some of you there!!

Happy observing,
Luis

Greetings iNaturalists!. I hope everyone had an enjoyable long weekend!

I want to first thank everyone who has continued to contribute observations. I cannot stress enough the importance of your role in this project, and my hope is that this has been a fun opportunity for you to get outside and learn about the flora and fauna around us.

This month, the New England Trail will be continuing from last July, and will be hosting another “Fruiting Frenzy” themed BioBlitz from the 17th through the 31st. While the theme is meant to align with the most common plant phenophase right now, any and all observations are welcomed! Did you see an animal or insect foraging for fruit? Post your observation!

As we build out the dataset for this project, the question of changing ecological relationships brought on by climate change can be better answered on a local scale. For instance, how is our rapidly changing climate impacting what’s going on between plants, their pollinators, and the animals reliant on them for food? There’s only one way to find out – get outside and record what you see!

Happy observing 😊
Luis
P.S. Even more reason to go outside - blueberries are approaching peak fruit, and for you mushroom connoisseurs - I’ve started to see chicken and hen of the woods! Yum!

Greetings iNaturalists!

For today’s post, I wanted to take a closer look at the importance of community scientists (that’s you!) in scientific data collection, conservation of our natural spaces, and the crucial role that you all play in our NET study.

Playing a direct role in scientific studies does not have to be limited to the principal investigators of a project. In fact, broadening participation to community members often increases the quality and quantity of data ¹, which in our case leads to more robust and accurate climate and plant phenology models. It is often the case that local users of the trail know the area better and have a deeper connection to the land than the people undertaking the study ². Scientists bring analytical and qualitative expertise, but the community is often more in-tune and aware of the nuances we aim to investigate ³.

The importance of your role as data collection specialists (and potentially curators) in this project cannot be understated. In the NET’s 215-mile length, it would be impossible for one person to collect enough data for a large or representative enough sample size to do meaningful analysis. The NET Nature Watch project would thus not be possible without your participation!

I’d like to give a shoutout to some of our most prolific iNaturalists – your contributions and effort spent on this project do not go unnoticed!

Our top 5 identifiers: @tsn, @lynnharper, @davidenrique, @amandammvt, @trscavo

Our top 5 observers: @drewdlestrudel, @lynnharper, @thomashulsey, @karro_frost, @genv

Lastly, if anyone is interested in becoming a curator for this project, please email me at lberrizbeitia@outdoors.org. Being a curator involves adding research grade identifications to observations within the project as well as accurately determining the phenophase of the observation.

Happy exploring!
Luis Berrizbeitia

Citations:

1. Killen, H., Chang, L., Soul, L. and Barclay, R., 2022. Combining Physical and Digital Data Collection for Citizen Science Climate Research. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 7(1), p.10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.422. Access: https://theoryandpractice.citizenscienceassociation.org/articles/10.5334/cstp.422
2. Fraisl, D., Hager, G., Bedessem, B. et al. Citizen science in environmental and ecological sciences. Nat Rev Methods Primers 2, 64 (2022). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-022-00144-4. Access: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43586-022-00144-4
3. Maria Tengö and others, Creating Synergies between Citizen Science and Indigenous and Local Knowledge. BioScience, Volume 71, Issue 5, May 2021, Pages 503–518. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biab023. Access: https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/71/5/503/6238580?login=false

Hello iNaturalists!

I wanted to take a moment to quickly reintroduce this ongoing project and to highlight Grace’s 2022 report.

Taken from the NET website: https://newenglandtrail.org/new-england-nature-watch/

“Since 2004, NET’s Massachusetts partner, Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) has been monitoring the timing of seasonal plant events like flowering in conjunction with weather conditions to better understand the effects of climate change. To gather a wide range and make sense of this data, AMC and NET launched their New England Nature Watch program using the iNaturalist app in 2021. With the help of curious hikers turned citizen scientists (that’s you!), we’re looking to continue the data collection for another year.”

The role you all have played has been crucial for developing a robust dataset that NPS and AMC can use to further understand how climate change is impacting our region. The NET is a trail made more special because of the direct role you all play in its stewardship. In that light, I felt it important to share with you some highlights of the 2022 report written by previous intern, Grace Piselli. This report would not have been possible without your time and effort on the trail!!

Key findings from Grace’s NET report

With your hard work, we now have three indicator species that can be used as a baseline for future climate analysis. They are Erythronium Americanum (yellow trout lily) as an early spring indicator, Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit) as a mid-spring indicator, and Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower) as a late spring indicator. Their flowering curves will be used to aid in monitoring ongoing shifts in climate. Not only have we found plant species we can home in on, we also have three important temporal baselines to work from now!

Your data helped facilitate the discovery of temporal and spatial variations of flowering along the trail corridor. The Northern portion of the NET is essentially the Massachusetts portion and the Southern portion of the NET is the Connecticut portion of the trail. Check out those differences in mean flowering dates!

Lastly, I wanted to highlight a graphic that visualizes your efforts along the entire trail corridor. I am impressed by the space you all covered and can’t wait to see what your (ongoing) 2023 observations help reveal.

All the best,
Luis Berrizbeitia

Happy Memorial Day, iNaturalists, and welcome back to the New England Trail Nature Watch project!

I am Luis Berrizbeitia, your 2023 New England Trail SIP intern coming to you in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). I am a natural resources conservation major at UMass Amherst, with a passion for understanding ecological processes through space and time. I am an avid canoeist, hiker, and greenwood worker, and cannot wait to get this project’s second season underway!

The importance of community scientists cannot be understated, and it is especially relevant to the stewardship needs of the NET. I wanted to express my sincerest thank you and appreciation for your hard work last season! Your observations were critical to acquiring crucial plant phenology data that is helping NPS and AMC scientists understand how climate change is impacting south central New England. Without your hard work and contributions, this endeavor would not have been possible.

I also wanted to thank 2022 New England Trail SIP intern, Grace Piselli, who got this project underway. I have some large shoes to fill, but I know with your help we can continue to collect crucial data that will give us insights into how climate change is affecting our area.

Last season, over 1000 of you contributed to 3000+ observations! The analysis of your data paved the way for the creation of baseline metrics we can now use for the investigation of phenology events along the New England Trail (check out Grace’s last post!). Our observations from this season will add to this dataset and facilitate further scientific exploration.

Be on the lookout for calls to action, bioblitz’s, community hikes, and prizes for our most active contributors! Thank you again, and let’s get observing!!

Best,
Luis :)

Hello all,

I am officially at the end of my internship with the National Park Service and Appalachian Mountain Club. In the past 12 weeks, I launched this project and collected observations from over 1000 of you! I am so grateful for your participation in this project. Your observations have proven once again that using iNaturalist as a research tool is possible. From the 3000+ observations in this project, I was able to create baseline metrics for analysis of flowering and fruiting in native plants along the New England Trail. I found that yellow trout lily, jack-in-the-pulpit, and Canada mayflower will be the best indicators of spring for the region. I also found that many factors such as elevation and latitude impact when seasons arrive.

Only through your efforts could I have begun this project and made these scientific conclusions. But this project is by no means over! The New England Trail Nature Watch will continue to live on as a tool for AMC and the NET’s conservation research efforts. While I may be leaving my position as project administrator, I will continue to contribute - I hope you all do as well.

I had a great time getting to know you all, and see what you’ve observed over the years. I wish you all the best and happy observing!

P.S. If anyone is interested in becoming a curator for this project please message @val_neuhausser or @gmurray on iNaturalist! This volunteer opportunity will aid our research greatly and can occur remotely on your own time!

Happy Monday! Our Fruiting Frenzy BioBlitz is officially over. Thank you so much to those who participated. We were able to add 56 observations to the New England Trail Nature Watch! It's amazing to see how the project has grown in the short time since its creation.

Now for the fun part - our BioBlitz winners!
3rd Place: @noraspice
2nd Place: @anneruth
And 1st Place: @drewdlestrudel

Congratulations!!!! You all did so well! I also wanted to give an honorable mention to @pateagle , thank you for participating!

Winners, I will be contacting you shortly for information on where to send your prizes!

Happy Observing everyone and talk to you soon!

Hello all! Today is the last day of the New England Trail Nature Watch BioBlitz. Until Midnight tonight, you can submit any observations taken in the past two weeks, in the project area! You can add old observations, or even just plant pictures from your phone - everything counts.

If you haven't already joined the project, please do so! Members with the top 3 most observations will receive NET merchandise.

3rd Place: A New England Trail Patch and Connecticut Forest and Park Association Sticker
2nd Place: A NET Patch, and NET Map and Guide to the best hikes in the CT River Valley
1st Place: A NET Patch, NET Map and Guide, and Newcomb's Wildflower Plant ID Guide (the best in the business)

If you're interested in contributing to our climate research as well as the prizes, consider submitting an observation!

Thank you so much to those of you who have been participating these past weeks. Your observations are what make our work possible. Happy Sunday everyone and happy observing!