One of the first things that I do each day after sitting down at my desk and computer is to see where the FWNC&R is on iNaturalist. This morning, after eagerly waiting for the site to come up (and even more eagerly swigging my morning coffee), I saw the number 501 pop up under the heading "Species". Just five days ago the FWNC&R project hit 1,000 observations and this morning we hit 500 species!
What this says to me is that the 49 naturalists that have entered observations are not "one trick ponies" who just know a few species and enter them over and over. Take a look at our most observed species. The eastern pondhawk, a dragonfly, leads the way with 15 observations. The top five observed species include an insect, two mammals, and two reptiles. Given that most folks who visit the Refuge are looking to see the bison herd or the prairie dog town or maybe just a whitetail deer, I find this amazing.
It really is a tribute to those who visit, support, and just generally value the FWNC&R that we have so many species documented. We have plant people, birders, mammal lovers, and those off-the-wall herpers. We have butterfly folks, spider aficionados, and even some fungus followers! More than anything, we have naturalists!
So, thanks to all of you who have added observations and species to our database to help guide our land management activities here on the Refuge. Now, onward and upward to 2,000 observations and 1,000 species!
Rob Denkhaus,
FWNC&R Natural Resource Manager
