Hi all! In addition to all of our past observations we've had some great new ones coming in as well. I wanted to send a note about what sorts of observations are useful for conservation planning.

First of all, make sure you do not add any images you did not take yourself. I saw a couple pictures of pictures, any picture that you did not take (or are posting with direct permission and attribution from the person who took the photo) should not be added to inaturalist or the project. We are interested in what you find, not what other people have found elsewhere... and those sorts of photos are also against the iNaturalust rules. Instead, if you observe something but don't have a photo you can create an observation without a photo.

Anything wild is valuable to add. For instance: native plants, invasive plants, birds, mammals (tracks and scat are OK), and fungi. If you map an invasive species you can also add it to this project: http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/montpelier-invasive-plants Roadkill, while depressing, is good to document because it helps in documenting places where animals are dying and things like deer crossing signs or habitat corridors may be needed.

Observations of landscape plants are less valuable, but can still be useful. In particular, it is useful to add planted species if they are able to overwinter on their own, if they are a species that may become invasive, if they are unusual, or if their flowers are being visited by pollinators (add those too if you can!)

Selfies, a photo of your dog, photos of houseplants, etc aren't particularly valuable for conservation and are usually discouraged... though if you want to add one or two amidst more high-value observations people probably won't care.

Happy observing! less ↑