The UNCG Office of Sustainability invites employees and students to participate in UNCG’s third annual Campus Nature Challenge, a citizen science project to increase biodiversity awareness by photographing, recording audio, and cataloging the plants, animals (including insects), and fungi on campus using the iNaturalist app.
From October 24-31, participants are asked to use the iNaturalist app to identify as many species across campus as they can. Supported by a grant from the UNCG Green Fund, student participants are eligible to win prizes including a bicycle, tent, hammock, and gift cards to REI.
Winners will be awarded for the most observations identified, the greatest number of species identified, and best photos in several categories. While only students are eligible to win prizes, UNCG employees are still encouraged to participate in the project to further research.
The iNaturalist app is a popular citizen science tool for cataloging biodiversity. It is available for free on both Android and Apple and has a compatible website that allows uploads by those who cannot download the app. It allows users to take photos or record audio of diverse plant and wildlife, which are uploaded into the app with the location geotagged. The application makes suggestions for identification based on the photos. Once the person submitting the picture attempts to ID the photo, the photos are shared to the iNaturalist community to confirm or suggest corrections.
For the past two years, the challenge has been held in April to coincide with Earth Day but is being held in the fall this year to get a more holistic understanding of the campus eco-system. This year UNCG is also partnering with the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Appalachian State University.
The competition is championed by Dr. Shaleen Miller, adjunct professor in the UNCG Department of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability (GES). “I’m really excited to be spreading this bioblitz beyond our own campus. This year Appalachian State is participating in a friendly competition with us, and hopefully next time, we can expand participation even further in the state. But meanwhile, it’s friendly, but let’s go UNCG! Let’s show App State what we’ve got on campus!”
An additional goal this fall is to engage participants in the analysis of all observations from this fall and the previous competitions, with the goal to increase data literacy skills, including the ability to organize, analyze, interpret, and create with scientific data. Toward that goal, a ArcGIS workshop is open to all UNCG students, staff, and faculty members who participate in the challenge.
The workshop will be hosted by Greg Carlton and Rajesh (Raj) Sigdel, both PhD candidates in GES. Raj has a background in ecology and biology and is passionate about protecting our water resources; he specifically studies the dynamics of large wood in urban streams. Greg is a UNCG Minerva Scholar with a background in GIS and visualization with a focus on sustainable transportation, environmental science, and social equity in North Carolina; and he is also an avid user of iNaturalist.
Participants will use ArcGIS Online to create story maps about one or more species of their choice. Story maps are a rich and interactive way to demonstrate important findings about sustainability and ecology. This will be a fun, hands-on learning experience where participants will be able to let their creativity shine while also gaining new experiences.
A friendly competition will take place at the end of the workshop to choose the most creative story map which will be featured on social media and the winner will receive an Osprey backpack. The workshop will take place at 5 p.m. on November 2 in Graham.
Participants much register in advance by October 28 in order to be granted access to the ArcGIS platform. More information, including a how-to video, and the official rules of the competition can be found on the UNCG Sustainability website. Questions should be sent to Dr. Miller. Follow Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for competition updates.
Story by Sean MacInnes, Office of Sustainability
Photography by Alycee Byrd, University Communications
