SPECIESSNAPIT & MAPITHelp map & conserve the species of Great Smoky Mountains National Park!
Photo: Dan Mele
Learning objectives
Atlas of the
Smokies
Species SnapIt & MapIt
Outline• Smokies ATBI project
• Atlas of the Smokies
• Species SnapIt & MapIt
• Crash course in iNaturalist
• Recap
• iNaturalisting in the wild
Nonprofit park partners
Mission
Discovering,understanding& conserving
biological diversity
Mission
• Research
• Conservation
• Education
Located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Smokies: rich in biodiversity
Flagship project
All
Taxa
Biodiversity
Inventory
Smokies ATBI
• An intensive survey of all biodiversity
• Integration of science, conservation, stewardship, and education
• Partnership of scientists, government agencies, research institutions, volunteers, educators
Smokies ATBI• What species are there?
• Where are they distributed?
• How common or rare are they?
• What do they interact with each other?
By the numbers: Species of the Smokies
20,203NUMBER OF SPECIESCURRENTLY KNOWN
TO GREAT SMOKYMOUNTAINS NP
9605
Species knownto park pre-ATBI
1021
9577
New-to-science species discovered by ATBI
New species recordsdiscovered by ATBI
60-80KESTIMATED SPECIES LIVING IN
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NP
21YEARS THAT ATBIHAS BEEN ACTIVE
Updated November 2019
Purvis & Hector 2000 Nature
Biodiversity, worldwide
Smokies ATBI
Photo: Dan Mele
Chris Goforth
Matt Muir
Assassin bugs (Reduviidae)
Parasitic wasps (Micro-Hymenoptera)
Fruit flies (Tephritidae) & others
Plant bugs (Miridae)
Smokies ATBI: understudied groups
Atlas of the
Smokies
Species Mapper EnviroMapper
NPS video explaining Atlas of the Smokies
• https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=B4C11937-A079-7BD4-E85FB8BB80F0EBEF
Demo Species Mapper & Enviromapper in browser
Species SnapIt & MapIt
More species to map• Need 30+ observations to map
a species
• Must be geographically distinct
• More observations = greater accuracy
• Need observations for the unmapped species
Mapped in Atlas of the Smokies (884 species)
Not mapped
Species SnapIt & MapIt: Crowdsourcing species observations
Find certain species inthe Park1 Snap photos & submit
observations to iNaturalist2 Species get added toAtlas of the Smokies3
Species SnapIt & MapIt
iNaturalist Guide: Species SnapIt & MapIt Priorities
What is iNaturalist?
• Phone app (Android or Apple iOS)
• Website: inaturalist.org
• Citizen science platform
• Explore your local biodiversity
• Identify organisms with AI
• Submit observations of species
What species to look for?iNaturalist > Guides > Species SnapIt & MapIt Priorities
• 92 focus species
• Birds
• Amphibians
• Insects
• Plants
• Others
• Downloadable
iNaturalist Guide: Species SnapIt & MapIt PrioritiesLittle brown jugHexastylis arifolia
Orange-fringed orchidPlatanthera ciliaris
Crane-fly orchidTipularia discolor
Fraser’s sedgeCarex fraseriana
Bowman’s rootGillenia trifoliata
Devil’s bitChamaelirium luteum
Putty rootAplectrum hyemale
GalaxGalax urceolata
Canadian wild gingerAsarum canadense
Carolina horsenettleSolanum carolinense
Great blue heronArdea herodias
Eastern fence lizardSceloporus undulatus
Pleasing fungus beetleMegalodacne heros
“complete” with 10+ obs(19 species)
no obs(38)
in progress(35)
Where to look?• Observe anywhere
within Park
• Take a hike!
• Focus: NC side of Park
• Focus: away from Visitor Centers
• Note: cell coverage limited in Park
TENNESSEE
NORTH CAROLINA Visitor Centers
Leave no trace principles1) Plan ahead & prepare
2) Travel & camp on durable surfaces (stay on trails)
3) Dispose of waste properly
4) Leave what you find (take only photographs)
5) Minimize campfire impacts
6) Respect wildlife (stay 50 yards away)
7) Be considerate of other visitors
LNT.org
Frames taken from iNaturalist video at https://vimeo.com/162581545
A crash course
*Needs data signal! Won’t work in Park
*Needs data signal! Won’t work in Park
*Add multiple photosof your subject
*Enable location services on your device
*Needs data signal! Refresh afterwards
iNaturalist (https://vimeo.com/162581545)
Observation tips: location sharingEnable location services on your phone (in Settings)
Set phone to Airplane Mode while in park (save battery)
Observation tips: multiple photos
Small things: show different angles Plants: show different parts
Stay tuned for updatesWebpage: https://dlia.org/snapit-mapit/
Project on iNaturalist: Discover Life in America ATBI
Let’s practice iNaturalist!
TIPS
• Enable location services
• Take focused, full-frame photos
• Add multiple photos
• Try the What did you see? feature
1) Download iNaturalist & register
2) Find our Guide (Guides > search “snapit”)
3) Download it to your phone (menu > Download for offline use)optional, it’s 40 MB
4) Make at least 2 observations in iNaturalist
5) “Join” our iNaturalist Project
HELPFUL INFO
GUIDE: Species SnapIt & MapIt Priorities
PROJECT: Discover Life in America ATBI
WIFI (XXX): password XXX
Recap• Check iNaturalist Guide (Species SnapIt & MapIt Priorities)
• Take a hike in the Park!
• Report what you see to iNaturalist
• Follow updates at:
• Discover Life in America ATBI (iNaturalist Project)
• DLIA website: dlia.org/snapit-mapit