Progress Update

As of this writing (October 31, 2016), Riverside Citizen Science has aggregated 1111 observations. After the initial surge of contributions from users of the City of Riverside's NatureSpotter smartphone application, other observers have continued to post their observations using different apps, or simply sharing photos via the iNaturalist website. Thus far, what does the aggregate of these observations indicate?

Large mammals (bobcat, coyote, deer, etc.) are certainly the most elusive species of Riverside's biodiversity, and automated wildlife cameras might be the best way to create a more complete record of their passing. But beyond this, it's not too surprising, that lizards, small birds (especially hummingbirds), butterflies and surface-dwelling invertebrates make up a big part of the record. After all, the native ecosystem of the Riverside area is the coastal sage-scrub plant community, and these ar the species that should thrive in this community. The lesson might be that even with just fringes of this habitat, a city like Riverside can still harbor a healthy population of native species.

Posted on October 25, 2014 07:08 PM by jbryant