100,000 iNaturalist observations in the Smokies
iNaturalist users have contributed over 100,000 species observations in Great Smoky Mountains National Park!
Marking a milestone
Congratulations to @hollycoates for making the 100,000th iNaturalist observation in Great Smoky Mountains National Park: an eastern hemlock tree along the North Carolina side of HWY 441! Huzzah!
So far, 4,851 different species have been observed in GSMNP, including 1,815 different insect species, 1,492 plants, 916 fungi, and 171 arachnids. Among these are 92 species that are new records for the Smokies, first documented through iNaturalist.
GSMNP currently ranks #5 in the National Park Service system in iNaturalist observations, users, and species. However, there are a whopping 21,380 species documented in the park so far through the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, likely making it number one in total known species richness.
The very first observation in the Smokies was submitted by @tonyg on August 15, 2011 of a black-bellied salamander in Cades Cove, but @gcsnelling wins the prize for the earliest-dated observation: a Carolina legionary ant specimen from Cades Cove dated April 30, 1939 (just 5 years after the park was chartered)!
A special thanks to some top contributors...
In total, 7,183 observers have recorded life in the Smokies via iNaturalist and 4,695 users have helped identify them. Incredible!
These folks have contributed 400+ observations: @reallifeecology @jduffy @anneturner @mcaterino @akfishmom @graham_montgomery @dakilaledesma @annkatrinrose @travelaunt @matthewherron @drbh2o @dunhamkc @ladyjanaye @kemper @brandoncorder @wildlandblogger @b_georgic @pinus_taeda @anaturalist68 @olliff_oil @cdance @joeyshaw @llmatt76 @barefootchris @abmorris @spyingnaturalist @pwdeacon
These folks have made at least 400 identifications: @mjpapay @annkatrinrose @davidenrique @trscavo @syrherp @jtuttle @choess @tsn @eraskin @rynxs @ddennism @polemoniaceae @lisamh @jak2113 @pynklynx @graytreefrog @maxallen @d2b @janetwright @wdvanhem @arethusa @traylorc @smithjg1954 @twpierson @waterfallrich @afid @silverwolfcc @johnplischke @mmmmbugs @dogwoodvalley
Thanks to you and everyone else who has helped us reach this exciting milestone!
Help us get to 200K!
iNaturalist usage in the Smokies has skyrocketed from just 4 users at the end of 2011, to 3,800 by the end of 2020, to now more than 7,100 users. We at DLiA are excited to see so many folks contributing to science in the Smokies and hope to get more of the park's millions of annual visitors in on the fun!
You can help record life in Great Smoky Mountains National Park by simply using iNaturalist to record the life you see during your next visit. Find out how we use iNaturalist observations to help the park by visiting our Smokies Most Wanted page. If you're up for a challenge, you can seek out and document species listed in our Smokies Most Wanted guide. Any observation you make within the bounds of the Smokies helps us learn about and protect Smokies life!
// Will Kuhn (@willkuhn), director of science and research, Discover Life in America (dlia.org)
