ecocitycoloradosprings's Journal

Hello CoNPS iNaturalist working group attendees,  
I look forward to working with you this afternoon. Of course, this is the pilot! I hope things go smoothly. :-)I will be in Zoom before the meeting starts to troubleshoot any on-boarding. If you can't get in or need help, call me! 719-314-5177. I don't want to leave anyone hanging.  

Here are the observations I received from you. If you can get yourself settled with these pages open in tabs on your browser, that might be easier than looking at my screen. If you pull it up for yourself, you can make an identification on your own computer when we reach some kind of consensus (ha! that was a botanical joke...) 
Tetraneuris acaulis   https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27834141
Allium brevistylis   https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27938998
Lathyrus lanszwertii  https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27938657
Physocarpus monogynus     https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27834140
Oxytropis sericea          https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27833655

Discussion: which vetch is which? starting with this observation, then look at the "Compare" tool. Let's have a conversation about this in light of what information we gather from Ackerfield and/or Weber. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/47353479

Same discussion about penstemons: starting with this observation, then look at the "Compare" tool. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/46174289

The basic concern that drives these discussions is this: Are all of the species iNaturalist is suggesting actually present in Colorado, and then in our ecoregions? This is the kind of information we can get from Ackerfield. Let's try to validate what we see in iNaturalist and flag identifications that are geographically impossible.  I look forward to our meeting!

Thanks, 
Maggie

I hope these strange days are treating you well. It's hard to be a science communicator right now. It takes an emotional toll on me. I have over 100 students who want answers. After weeks of rough patches, I think I have found the optimistic place in all of this.

I used to live in the rural mountains of Colorado and after a decade, I had lost the vision for why rural living is special. In 2014, we moved to Colorado Springs, my husband's hometown. Right now, life in Colorado Springs (pop. 500,000) is like living in a rural town. We are living our best rural life. We accomplish so much with our home time. We are seeding, painting, fixing, building, cooking, sewing, coloring, and generally enjoying each other's company. This is the sustainable, slow life. Let's get back to a homesteading culture that is our Colorado Springs history. Let's plant victory gardens. Let's do nice things for our neighbors. Let's walk on our sidewalks, appreciate the beauty of our outdoor spaces, find some time for self-restoration.

My daughter, Althea (13yrs), came into my room today. She was sharing her optimistic moment. She saw some TikTok about how the world has been less polluted in the last few weeks. She said dolphins were swimming closer to shore. She said greenhouse gases are present in lower concentrations, plants are growing faster. Now I am not sure the last one is true, but I was so happy that her world of social media was reaching the optimistic place.

We are all sharing a lived experience whether or not we can do that in close proximity to each other. One of the most uplifting shared experiences in our world today is happening this month, in celebration of Earth Day and Citizen Science Day, and in general appreciation for all the Earth provides.

Please join me and people all over the world April 24-27th. Participate in one of the biggest citizen science events on planet Earth. Join us for the City Nature Challenge. Put Colorado Springs on the citizen science map. Tie up your sneakers and get outside to any of our wonderful city open spaces. Use the Colorado Springs iNaturalist project to log the species you see from April 24 - 27th. From April 28th - May 3rd, use your big brains to help us identify what was found.

Make a difference. Be a citizen scientist. Participate in the City Nature Challenge.

Important Links:
Colorado Springs City Nature Challenge iNaturalist project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-colorado-springs

Scistarter project announcement: https://scistarter.org/citizen-science-day-in-the-garden-of-the-gods

Ecocity Partners Citizen Science Institute playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu3S-fhKXxKD6IPFYw3Yz0XyuRrtY91fi

Please share this event with your students, neighbors and friends.

And if you'd like to learn more about native plants in Colorado, please join us at the upcoming Colorado Native Plant Society Southeast Chapter virtual meeting.

Thank you for your dedication to science and sustainability.
Maggie