JACKSON HOLE, WYO – Nature Mapping Jackson Hole is looking to train a few interested men and women to become nature mappers. The certification training will take place on September 20 at the Teton County Library from 5:30 – 7:30pm. Please email your RSVP.
Volunteer coordinator and certification trainer Frances Clark will lead a course to introduce wildlife enthusiasts to the Nature Mapping Jackson Hole program. She will provide basic species identification training and guide participants through the process that will enable them to add their observations to the NMJH database.
So how will your observational skills be used?
Nature Mapping Jackson Hole is a group of volunteer citizens working collectively to create a long-term dataset containing wildlife observations. When everyone contributes a small amount of data, the end result is enormous. Nature Mapping Jackson Hole strives to fill wildlife observation and distribution needs not already covered by state and federal agencies or local research organizations.
Nature Mapping began in 2009, founded by a group of dedicated volunteers and local biologists under the Meg and Bert Raynes Wildlife Fund. In 2011, a cooperative relationship between the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation, and the Meg and Bert Raynes Wildlife Fund began in order to build on the initial success of the Nature Mapping Jackson Hole program.
Nature Mapping Jackson Hole is a long-term, citizen science research project with the goals of:
- Keeping common species common (studying all species not just high-profile species or species of concern).
- Increasing citizen’s knowledge of and appreciation for wildlife in Teton County, WY.
- Engaging citizens in long-term wildlife data collection.
- Informing management decisions that favor wildlife sustainability.
- Contribute data to the Wyoming Game & Fish Department’s Wildlife Observation System (WOS) to augment state data.
