Work and Play

Two events:

When I first join iNaturalist six or seven years ago I did not have a smart phone. I was armed with my handheld GPS, my dslr, and a clunky tablet. It was laborious to manually upload and geotag each observation, and I just stopped doing it. I saw the potential, and enjoyed sharing the things I saw, but I simply didn't have the time to add them.

During my first wildlife technician job after deciding to go back to school to finish my biology degree, my boss said this to me, " Rowdy, are you sure you really want to jump from being a technician to a biologist? You're a naturalist. As a biologist you may no longer want to spend your free time doing what you do all week."

He wasn't right, but at the same time, he wasn't completely wrong. I've spent the last few years working with a single wildlife species, and while I've not gotten tired of wandering the prairie looking at other things, I've not had the time to really dive into the little things I enjoy. There's always something.

I've enjoyed coming back to iNaturalist as a way to force myself to knock the dust off all my plant keys and field guides.

Posted on June 18, 2018 12:55 PM by rowdius