Mosier White Oaks Group – iNaturalist Bioblitz
l Kick off-- April 20, 2024 at Mosier Spring Fest
l Naturalist led events (hikes and explorations) throughout late April and May to record mammals, flowers, reptiles, amphibians, birds and invertebrates (insects, butterflies, and pollinators)
The Mosier White Oaks Group is launching a BioBlitz at SpringFest, and you’re invited. The group is an assortment of Mosier neighbors who love learning about the natural history of our area and how to care for the flora and fauna. We hope to get folks excited about the importance of oak ecology in the Mosier area, not just the trees, but ALL the flora and fauna.
With more than 200 local oak-associated species, Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) habitats contribute to the health and wellbeing of over 200 animal, bird, and insect species by providing food, shelter, nutrients, and shade. In addition, white oak habitats provide traditional food, medicine, and a variety of other uses for indigenous peoples.
Much of the Mosier Oregon watershed is blanketed with oak woodlands, some mixed with Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir, some in between great swaths of wildflower meadows. By learning more about the importance of Mosier’s white oaks, we hope you will join us in finding ways to improve the health of these majestic and important forests. (The Mosier White Oak Group meets every other month. To get on our email list for announcements, contact mosierwhiteoaks@gmail.com.)
Mosier White Oaks Group will be sponsoring a Bioblitz (definition below) in the Mosier watershed, focusing on oak habitats. The bioblitz will take place from February 1, 2024, through January 31, 2025.
A bioblitz is a collective citizen-science effort to record as many species as possible within a designated area and time period. In our case, this effort will be recorded through iNaturalist, a free app, and will include hikes led by professionals and enthusiasts in natural sciences.
A bioblitz is a great way to engage people with the oak environment while generating useful data for science and conservation. It is also an excuse for naturalists, scientists, and curious people to meet in person in the great outdoors, and have fun!
iNaturalist is a combination of citizen science and social media. It is an easy tool to use to collect data on species in the oak habitats. You do not have to be an expert because the iNaturalist app helps you identify plants and animals. All you need to collect data in the field is a smart phone or pad or digital camera (which takes an extra step or two to upload to iNaturalist). If you haven’t already, you can try it out at https://www.inaturalist.org.
When you post an observation, people can respond and help you learn about what you recorded. What’s more, by recording and sharing your observations, you create research-quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature. So, if you like recording your findings from the outdoors, or if you just like learning about your surroundings, join iNaturalist!
There are multiple benefits to the community and to you as an individual for participating in the bioblitz:
1. You will begin to see things in nature you had not noticed before.
2. Learning the names of the flora and fauna that live among us helps support good stewardship.
3. Scientists and land managers will be able to access the data we all collect to support their conservation work in our area.
4. You will meet neighbors who share your interests.
Mosier White Oaks will be sponsoring small groups of explorers to venture out in the Mosier watershed in search of the following groups of organisms while teaching how to collect high quality observations:
l Plants
l Animals
mammals
birds
amphibians and reptiles
l Insects including grubs, moths, beetles, butterflies and bees
l Mosses, lichens, and mushrooms (fall 2024)
These small groups of 10 or fewer will be led by local experts who will share a wealth of knowledge about their field of specialty. Each group will also learn to capture high quality observations using iNaturalist. To sign up, visit the Mosier White Oak table at Spring Fest or check HERE later in April.
The Mosier White Oaks group will kick off our sponsored field events on April 20 at the Mosier Spring Fest. Join us there at the Totem Plaza to sign up for the events. We will also post the events online in mid-April for sign ups. For more information visit https://www.mosierwhiteoaks.org/. Or email mosierwhiteoaks@gmail.com.