Have you ever gone on a walk and spotted a lizard or frog? Or looked out your window and saw a songbird? Most of us have — and like me, you may be delighted to learn that those joyful observations can become meaningful data points for biologists in Utah.
Adam Brewerton, avian conservation program coordinator with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said community-driven science is an important part of data collection.
"Anyone with the bird ID skills and willingness to be up enough hour before sunrise can sign up," Brewerton said.
Alyssa Hoekstra, native herpetology coordinator with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said she also benefits greatly from community science efforts.
“We also have a really good community of herpers out there,” Hoekstra said. “They submit a lot of observations for us on iNaturalist.”
Hoekstra noted that the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources independently verifies submitted photos and audio to make sure animals are reported correctly.
The more people willing to get outside and record their observations, the stronger the data becomes, Brewerton said.
“That's really how some of these big data sets work with iNaturalist and eBird,” he said. “Yes, there might be a certain measure of error around a given single observation, but you stack enough of those observations together over a long enough period of time, through different seasons, and you can have very powerful analysis and monitoring of what these bird populations are doing.”
Getting involved is simple: Download apps like iNaturalist or eBird and start recording your wildlife sightings.
If you’re worried about sharing the location of a sensitive species, there’s another option.
“We developed a form on Survey123,” Hoekstra said. “If people download that, they can search for Utah Herp Search Observations, and that data goes directly to us.”
And for people looking to go a step further, both Brewerton and Hoekstra say there are plenty of fun ways to participate.
“We've recently started a birding slam,” Brewerton said. “People can sign up, and there's different levels of challenges, all the way from beginner to more experienced levels.”
“We do iguana-thons every May,” Hoekstra said. “We also do pickle parties. It's basically where we preserve dead on the road found amphibians and reptiles for museum collections.”
Whether it’s spotting a backyard bird, logging a frog on a trail, or pickling a plains leopard frog, those efforts can make a big difference for wildlife conservation.