You don’t need a smartphone to take part in CNC!

Did you know absolutely anyone can take part in City Nature Challenge? We are documenting all species everywhere, and you don’t need a smartphone to take part!

How to upload photos taken with a camera onto iNaturalist:

1. Go to iNaturalist.org and login
   
2. Click “Upload” or “Add Observations”
   
3. Consider cropping or improving photos. By downloading photos to a desktop or laptop first, you have the opportunity to make edits such as: cropping (zooming in), or enhancing contrast in order to make the intended subject stand out more. You can always add or delete photos in an observation once made by clicking the edit option. This means you can take some in the field and add edited photos later too.
   
4. Either select “Choose Files” or drag and drop photos to upload.
   
5. Use the Select and Combine features if uploading several observations at once in order to group multiple photos into their relevant individual observations. First select a photo and hold down the ‘Shift’ key as you select additional photos in order to group photos to “Combine.”
   
6. Click on Species Name to see suggested IDs. Identify your organism to the best of your ability, even if it means listing “Insect” for an unknown arthropod. (Hint: If you proceed to location first, you will receive more accurate suggested IDs.)
   
7. If your camera doesn’t have built in GPS, you can choose the location where the photo was captured. Choose Location and click Update Observations. You can also select multiple observations and apply the same location to all at once.
   
8. Hit “Submit Observations.” Your observation(s) will automatically upload.
   

More information can be found in this short video:
https://vimeo.com/167431843

Tips on taking good photos for CNC

City Nature Challenge 2022 is just around the corner- remember, all observations must include a photo to verify the sighting!

Here are some quick tips for getting good photos to upload:

• If using a smartphone, turn on location settings so it will automatically log the coordinates of where the species was photographed
• Try and get the whole species in the photo
• Be steady! Photos that are clear and crisp instead of blurry will help with identification down the line.
• You can upload multiple photos with an identification, so take multiple photos! You can get different angles, focus on different parts (e.g. leaf, flower, identifiable markings)
• When you have the perfect shot you can crop the photo to try and bring the species closer in frame
• When you upload your photo, if you are unsure of the species you can leave a more general identification- such as the family or genus. Others will help identify the species next week!
• Remember- try not to disturb or damage the focus object or its surroundings when trying to get a photo.


Some great photos of Utah wildlife:

Mule deer uploaded by user Sjensen

Black capped chickadee uploaded by user Colin Moore

Firecracker penstemon uploaded by user Tobi

More information can be found here:

https://vimeo.com/167341998
https://www.inaturalist.org/guides/2465

Go Team Wasatch!

Warmly and wildly, the Conservation Department at Utah’s Hogle Zoo & Utah's Wasatch organizing partners: NHMU Citizen Science Program, Hutchings Museum, Jordan River Commission, Salt Lake City Library, Salt Lake County Library, Salt Lake City Trails & Natural Lands Division, Stokes Nature Center, Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter, Thanksgiving Point, The Nature Conservancy in Utah, Tracy Aviary, US Fish & Wildlife Service - Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Utah Society for Environmental Education, Utah Open Lands, Utah Valley University, UV Residential.

Publicado el 27 de abril de 2022 a las 10:51 PM por kayleighm