Forwarded from Jason O'Brien at ISU Extension:
Iowa NatureMapping -- Finding All the Pieces, To Keep Common Species Common
NatureMapping is THE statewide citizen-driven wildlife monitoring program
for Iowa. The main goals of the program are two-fold: 1) educate Iowa
citizens of all ages about Iowa's common wildlife species and their
habitats; 2) compile citizen-gathered wildlife data into a centralized and
publicly accessible database. There are just not enough wildlife
professionals, money, or time to adequately monitor Iowa's common wildlife
species.
Participants become involved by attending a 6-hour Level I Basic training
workshop. Workshops are of minimal cost; $10.00. Participants will leave
the training workshop with the following:
. knowledge about Iowa's wildlife and habitats, and the conservation and
management needs of both;
. mapping and map reading skills, which are integral to sound wildlife
monitoring and science;
. a handbook full of resources useful in and out of the classroom;
. knowledge about the Iowa NatureMapping web site, and centralized learning
tool for Iowa citizens;
. skills and access to a data entry site for entering wildlife data;
. ideas about how to incorporate NatureMapping in the classroom.
NatureMapping is an important vehicle for teaching citizens about ecology,
wildlife biology, and the human connection to both, all from a localized,
meaningful point of view.
(NatureMapping also conducts several specialized "Training Modules" on birds
and reptiles/amphibians. These workshops are currently not scheduled. We
are also developing a Level II training, that will provide additional
guidance on using NatureMapping in the classroom and elsewhere).
A workshop may be coming to your area. Below is the latest list of
workshops. Registration information can be found at our web site
(http://www.extension.iastate.edu/naturemapping). Iowa NatureMapping is
currently booking more training workshops for next year. If you would like
to sponsor a training workshop, please contact me at the number or email
below. If you have any questions about NatureMapping, please contact me, or
go to our web site. I look forward to working with you on this important
citizen opportunity!
Upcoming Workshops:
September 21st: O'Brien County Conservation Board (CCB) - Mill Creek State
Park
October 5th: Johnson CCB and Johnson County Extension - F.W. Kent Park
October 12th: Butler CCB - Heery Woods State Park
November 2nd: Polk CCB - Chichaqua Wildlife Area
November 23rd: Sac CCB and Sac County Extension - Hagge Park
(NatureMapping also conducts several specialized "Training Modules" on birds
and reptiles/amphibians. These workshops are currently not scheduled. We
are also developing a Level II training, that will provide additional
guidance on using NatureMapping in the classroom and elsewhere).
Did you know?
Iowa has:
More than 397 species of birds (over 155 nest here)
22 species of amphibians (4 salamanders, 1 newt, 4 toads, 13 frogs)
47 species of reptiles (13 turtles, 6 lizards, 28 snakes)
61 species of mammals (13 more are no longer in Iowa)
Over 27,000 miles of perennial streams
Close to 65 percent of its land area in row crops
Approximately 85 percent of Iowa was tallgrass prairie (30,000,000 acres!)
Some 98 percent of it's land in private ownership
11 state threatened or endangered bird species, 4 state threatened or
endangered amphibians, 15 state threatened or endangered reptiles, and 8
state threatened or endangered mammals
Over 400 trained NatureMappers!
Jason O'Brien, Coordinator
Iowa NatureMapping Program
124 Science II
Department of Animal Ecology
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011
Phone: 515/294-6440
Fax: 515/294-7874
Email: [log in to unmask]
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/naturemapping
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