Moving Forward (An Updated, Introductory Post).
I recently hit two very important milestones as a self-teaching Naturalist. Both the 20th and 24th of June marked 5 years since I began recording Trailwalks throughout Indiana and Illinois (which have yet to post to another channel or content-hosted site at this time). Additionally, the 13th of July will mark 3 years since I began posting to iNaturalist, which has taught me to become a better researcher, photographer, and videographer. Most importantly, it has taught me to respect and appreciate nature.
With five years of observations and three years of research, it was time to start imposing personal guidelines as motivators in not only building up the confidence to start posting my Trailwalks for the world to view, but also to ensure that the data I am collecting in relevant and promotes some form of scientific value.
Beginning 13 July 2023:
- With the exception of documenting a life first, a drastic environmental change, or a concerning observation (i.e., a deceased animal not from natural causes, a suspected new invasive species, etc.), once a specific location has posted, it will NOT be revisited. This is partially to encourage branching out of comfort zones and visiting new sites, yet also give previously-visited sites a final “hurrah” of sorts.
- Specifically-visited sites will be accompanied by a journal post detailing the timeframe that observations are expected to post; provide information regarding the site’s geographic location, environmental factors, and notable landmarks; and state the cultural, historical, and ecological significance of the specific site(s) featured. I intend to keep the posts on iNat limited to observational research only. Unedited posts with full citations will be available via a dedicated blogging website (currently a Tumblr separate from my main account.)
- I am going to try for a minimum of three (3) observations posted daily, though I expect life situations will make this impossible on certain occasions. Those posts will spill over into the next day.
- Observations for the featured locations will post no less than three months after the initial exploration date. The only exceptions will be for the first tour through Channahon, future Citywide Nature Challenges/Bioblitzes, and for one-off posts documenting the aforementioned exceptions. (I sadly have the sheer bad luck of coming across dead birds. A lot.)
- Finally, I feel as though I have been very generous in the circulation and availability of my photographs. Unfortunately, and very recently, some bad actors (outside of iNat) have tested my patience. All my photos are and will still be available to use with proper credit, but I WILL NOT remove the watermarks from the photos which I have deemed to be higher quality. Any and all of my observations posted prior to 13 July 2023 will remain without a watermark since they are considered published, and of course you may still use any of my observations, watermarked or none, for research, school, educational purposes. For all other non-commercial purposes, please credit to Alexandra Destria.
I’ll try to find a way to properly archive all my posts. (Again, I’ll be posting simultaneously here and through Tumblr to keep organized and within my personally set deadlines.) In the meantime, thank you very much for reading!
-Lexi Destria.
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