Batch adding your observations to the FNAI tracked species project
I have a favor to ask project members. I recently updated the list of taxa associated with this project and also did some checks within iNaturalist and found that there are member observations in iNaturalist that are obscured, either by users or by taxon geoprivacy or both, but are not in our project. If you are tagged below and you could batch add your observations, and check if you trusted the project while doing so, that would help us greatly by giving us access to unobscured coordinates for these records. Batch adding was not straightforward for me and I hope that the below instructions will help. I don’t believe that this can be done from the app, but only using a browser. (It is possible on my android phone using Chrome, but the app kept trying to take over and so it was a pain.)
Thank you very much, I’m sorry for any inconvenience, and please feel free to email me at dalmquist@fnai.fsu.edu if the below is not clear. (I could not figure out how to add screenshots and am happy to email you a Word doc with them.)
Go to https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fnai-tracked-species
click “Add from Your Observations” in grayish "Members" box.
This should bring up a list of your observations that match the project list. Click "Batch edit" in the upper left, then Select All, then Add to Project, and last the Add button next to “FNAI tracked species”.
To “trust” the project, please back to https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fnai-tracked-species and click on “Your Membership” a little ways down towards the right.
If your private/obscured visibility setting is "No", please change it to other than that, and preferably the top choice of "Yes, no matter who adds the observation to the project."
Thanks; this should allow us access to many more unobscured records which will help with our conservation efforts!
@aaohler @abrahamlimpkin @aclarke2 @adamarendell @adiamond @afranck @aidancampos @ajvanh-arch @allenbelden @amyjenkins @anewman @arcticory @arenicola @ariana2009 @arthur-windsor @beach2022 @beatlejuice @betzharris @billbeck001 @biologyrulz @bjones7777 @bkrangel @bosqueaaron @botanicalkatz @bradleysmith @bradleytsalyuk @brandoncorder @brandonwoo @brennafarrell @brettbudach @brettmoyer @bruceholst @brycelee @camilleeck @canoe4nature @casseljs @cassievalenti @catiewelch1 @cfabian @cgrinter @chadanderson1 @charlesavenengo @chris_rorabaugh @courtharding @cpgibson @damonmoore @daniel_e @daygibson @deanna_d @dextersowell @dianaterryhibbitts @djringer @dvdkssrw @dvollmar @dylapodiformes @eastm @edporopat @emilycbell @ericpo1 @erikamonster @ethan2014 @floridensis @fnprice @frankdvm @gabrielsomarriba @gail18 @gatorgirl @gatorhawk @gaudettelaura @giffbeaton @gilmoreworks @goblin0661 @graham_montgomery @greglasley @gypsearose @hannahwojo @heatherlevy @igotflowerpower @j_albright @jason301 @jatmasphere @jayhorn @jduby @jenny36 @jhcamm @joemdo @john_arnett @joseph92 @joshuadoby @joshualincoln @juddpatterson @judygva @juliakmil @jupitersnest @katbrun77 @katedolamore @kaylyncullen @kchiasson @kenzie82 @kevin_wc @lfelliott @linaceae @lindacooper298 @lizschold @lycophyte @lydiamc @machi @manateeforest @manila_folder @marionbigscrubfnpso @markhollysalvato @marktancig @mary176 @marykeim @marystarkp @matts21 @maxmaddox @mcferny @mcwilly @mfeaver @michellemsmith @miguelsilvaz @mike_rochford @mike1076 @mmcmasters @mothlady41 @mrbryanames @myryth @nancyjmorrissey @nball @nicolez @noaboa @ntitelbaum @nursoph @pagophila @paws1985 @pearsone @peteacorr @petekleinhenz @plruiz @pmonte @queercusvirginiana @ranger_ross @retzely @rgbauer @rgundy @rileyfortierii @rileypollom @rubytueco @sa88lebags @sarnold25 @seaheart88 @sedge @shalana @simonsr35 @sk321 @sophiacf619 @steph_thecnidarian @stephenhodges @stevecollins @stevendaniel @strgzzr @taedo @the_land_philosopher @tiffany_moore @tonygrossman @torreya_trekker @tpalmer @travisblunden @valerietheblonde @verotessier @vita-sativum @vrch @whitneycostner @wildlandblogger
Comments
Done. How come observations aren't automatically added? I've always had to manually batch-add them to this project and rarely remember to do so.
@vita-sativum iNaturalist can be very useful, but has some quirks that I do not understand, such as this one. If I join and trust a project, I would expect any of my observations that fit the project needs to be added automatically, but I cannot find a way to do this and I'm sorry it's a pain.
There is no auto add for a traditional project. Have you tried looking into a collection project?
https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/managing-projects#:~:text=are%20best%20suited%3A-,Collection%3A,-A%20collection%20project
Note that following the instructions above returns all observations of FNAI-tracked species globally. There's no geographic filter on the project, so I had to manually sort through observations to eliminate those made outside Florida. And unfortunately the way the state of Florida boundaries work in iNaturalist, if you restrict to the state, you miss a lot of the observations out on the reefs in the Keys (because the boundary falls in between the Keys and the reefs). Editing to add: A custom geographic boundary would resolve the issue of the reefs and how state boundaries are defined in iNaturalist e.g., see the Keys biodiversity and Keys reef projects.
I have the same comments as @djringer and @brennafarrell ie. that there should be a geographic filter here to avoid out-of-state observations and that this project should be a collection project in order to automatically absorb member observations.
The place filter for Florida should be working now; sorry about that, please let me know if it doesn't work, and I'll look into removing already-entered non-Florida records. @djringer @joseph92 @brennafarrell
Done
Nice, I think someone will still have to go in and manually remove the out-of-state observations that have been placed in the project prior to the geographic filter. I would do it one at a time in order to avoid accidentally removing Florida keys observations that may not necessarily fall within the "state border" as per @djringer's prior comments.
Good points about location and thank you @djringer @joseph92 I'll look into replacing the place filter with something that won't exclude Keys observations, as we definitely do not want to do that. Adding this to the url should find ones that are outside of FL, although will still get some Keys observations.
&project_id=fnai-tracked-species¬_in_place=21
Done but I received the following message on 10 of my observations: Didn't pass rule: must be on list.
I tried a second time for these observations but same message appeared. Let me know if there is anything else I need to do.
@markhollysalvato Can you give me examples of those that you received the message about so that I can try to figure out what's going on? And thank you!
I believe "Didn't pass rule, must be on list" is a result of a species that is listed, but its subspecies is not. For example, the project will not accept my Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/117512145) even though it appears as an option when I click “Add from Your Observations." I suspect the species is listed, but some of its subspecies are not. I do not know if there is a way to fix this other than adding specific subspecies for all affected taxa.
@joseph92 Thank you. I just added that subspecies. I would have expected descendants to be allowed, but you are likely correct.
@joseph92 @markhollysalvato I think that you should be able to access and search the project list here. If you run across any more ommissions, I'd appreciate hearing about them and thanks again. https://www.inaturalist.org/lists/629861-FNAI-tracked-speciess-Check-List
A few of my FNAI listed obs had the same "Didn't pass rule, must be on list"
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/150069776 - Antigone canadensis
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/149660758 - Elytraria caroliniensis
Done! A few of my snail kite images are identified down to subspecies (Everglades snail kite), but that's not on the list. https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/238323-Rostrhamus-sociabilis-plumbeus
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&taxon_id=238323&preferred_place_id=1&locale=en&user_id=courtharding
@adamarendell Those full species are purposefully not on the list as there is at least one other subspecies or variety in Florida that we are not tracking at this time.
@courtharding OK, that subspecies is added now and thank you.
Done! Thank you!
Done!
Done! But I definitely have some out-of-Florida observations, so be aware of that.
Done!
Southern Coal Skink (Plestiodon anthracinus pluvialis) should be a subspecies included in the list. Currently, it is only included to species designation.
Done!
Not sure if it needs more time to update, but it's saying it's not on the list yet.
@joseph92 Good catch; that should be in at the subspecies level now.
Add a Comment