I have started administration tasks on the Wildlife Roadwatch page and will be working on cataloging a backlog of data from volunteers. Annica and I have also discussed my roll with the last stages of the Brook Trout Survey, which will slowly be passed off to the Trout Unlimited organization. There will be some data-plugging going on with that project as well, though Annica is waiting to hear back from a specialist on the TU team. We are also hoping to coordinate some student involvement and find ways to engage more volunteers, particularly with the budding endangered turtle survey project that Audubon is developing. In the meantime my 'homework assignments' have consisted of getting familiarized with the organizations we will be affiliated with throughout some of these projects, and also learning a little about a smartphone app Audubon hopes to start utilizing as a tool for citizen scientists to submit data. This app, called iNaturalist, will largely function as part of the endangered turtle project, which will look a lot like the wildlife roadwatch survey. Volunteers will submit mapped data, photos and descriptions of turtles found in or around roadways, dead or alive. I am working on getting in touch with a biking coalition in Portland, to try and find interest in this project amongst bikers in the Southern Maine area as well.
Annica and I also discussed some potential for visiting the statehouse and attending some meetings over environmental bills and laws being passed. Clearly, we have a lot planned and hope to make headway on some of these projects over the next few months! I am very excited to be working with Audubon, and it is great to see how some of these projects have grown. I highly recommend any interested students check out the iNaturalist app too! It's very cool and a great community-based science app. You can see all the cool wildlife people are seeing and photographing in your local area!
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