During our 6th installment of our Naturalist Training series, we discuss the City Nature Challenge (CNC), a four-day global iNaturalist event, happening every year on the last weekend of April. Started in 2016, hundreds of cities from around the world come together in a friendly competition to document the most species and observations by the highest number of people. Topics covered help you to: 1. Understand what is the CNC and different ways you can participate. 2. Learn how to host your own event. 3. Gather some tips and tricks on how to find more biodiversity around you. This is part 6 of an ongoing series. Part 1 - Community Science and Introduction to iNaturalist https://youtu.be/ty2Fu7Trz8o Part 2 - A Deeper Dive into iNaturalist https://youtu.be/_7kJBpDutpg Part 3: Leaf Miners, Galls, and Other Creatures on Plants https://youtu.be/VJuyz19K4rQ Part 4: Nature Interpretation for the Rest of Us https://youtu.be/JqvADIulSQA Part 5: Serpentine Grasslands and iNaturalist Projects https://youtu.be/FKbxTt08bMA Presenters are Merav Vonshak and Deb Kramer == RESOURCE LIST Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful: keepcoyotecreekbeautiful.org BioBlitz Club: BioBlitz.Club iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA CalAcademy City Nature Challenge website: https://www.calacademy.org/community-science/city-nature-challenge City Nature Challenge 2024 San Francisco iNaturalist project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2024-san-francisco-bay-area == GLOBAL CITY NATURE CHALLENGE City Nature Challenge: https://www.citynaturechallenge.org/ Global CNC project (if don’t live in a CNC city, and you’d need to join the project for your observations to count): https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2024-global-project Two global umbrella projects with all the cities: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2024-eurasia-africa-oceania https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2024-north-and-south-america == HOW TO HOST A BIOBLITZ Nerds for Nature, 10 Steps to BioBlitz: https://blog.nerdsfornature.org/post/64452358890/10-steps-to-bioblitz National Geographic, How to Host BioBlitz: https://media.nationalgeographic.org/assets/file/NationalGeographicBioBlitzGuide.pdf Recorded 4/17/2024

During our 5th installment of our Naturalist Training series, we focus on two subjects: 1. Serpentine grasslands Our main topic will be serpentine grasslands and the soil they form on. We will have a guest expert joining us for this section, Paul Heiple, who is a geologist and a plant expert. He will discuss the characteristics of serpentine soil and how only certain plants can grow on it, forming our serpentine grassland habitat that is home to many endemic plants. 2. iNaturalist projects How to create them, how to use them, and why! We will give examples of some of our favorite projects, and hopefully entice you to upgrade the way you use iNaturalist. Also, we will create a project together and add some observations! This is part 5 of an ongoing series. Part 1 - Community Science and Introduction to iNaturalist can be found at https://youtu.be/ty2Fu7Trz8o Part 2 - A Deeper Dive into Inaturalist can be found at https://youtu.be/_7kJBpDutpg Part 3: Leaf Miners, Galls, and Other Creatures on Plants can be found at https://youtu.be/VJuyz19K4rQ Part 4: Naturalist Training - Nature Interpretation for the Rest of Us can be found at https://youtu.be/JqvADIulSQA Presenters are Merav Vonshak and Paul Heiple == RESOURCE LIST iNaturalist https://www.inaturalist.org iNaturalist project on serpentine plants of the western US https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/serpentine-plants-of-the-western-united-states Vol. 1 of Ecology, Phytogeography & Physiology Series; "Serpentine and its Vegetation" R. R. Brooks "California Serpentines: Flora, Vegetation, Geology, Soils, and Management Problems" by Arthur R. Krucheberg INATURALIST PROJECTS LISTED IN THE PRESENTATION Amazing Aberrants ARThropod. Arthropods on snow Ask a Lichenologist Backyard Pollinators Bay Area Beach Blobs Coyote Creek Biodiversity Dock Fouling in California Fascinating Fasciation Flies of the US and Canada Found Feathers Funny common names Galls of California Home Compost Exploration Life in cow pats of the world Mystery Oak Leaf Skeletonizer Never Home Alone: The Wild Life of Homes + analysis North American Animal Tracks Database Open Space Authority Biodiversity Pacific Newt Roadkill (Main Project) Predators Scatology Serpentine Plants of the Western United States Skulls and Bones Snapshot Cal Coast 2023 The Pot Fouling Project UV fluorescent organisms And a few more worth mentioning - Animal Architecture Microscopy Mimicry Gallery The Butt End Of Nature seeds and fruits U.S. Terrestrial Nature and Plastic WeirdWildWonders Gall Week

During our 4th Naturalist Training, we will explore effective ways to share your passion for nature in this presentation by Michael Hawk from Jumpstart Nature. Learn to make any nature topic engaging. Whether a field trip, casual hike, or chance encounter, learn how to make any nature experience fun, engaging, and relevant. You’ll also learn how to connect with your audience and turn experiences into the beginning of a journey of discovery. This is part 4 of an ongoing series. Part 1 - Community Science and Introduction to iNaturalist can be found at https://youtu.be/ty2Fu7Trz8o Part 2 - A Deeper Dive into Inaturalist can be found at https://youtu.be/_7kJBpDutpg Part 3: Leaf Miners, Galls, and Other Creatures on Plants can be found at https://youtu.be/VJuyz19K4rQ Co-hosts are Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, BioBlitz Club and Jumpstart Nature Recording date 2/7/24 == RESOURCE LIST BOOKS - Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy at https://bookshop.org/a/98007/9781604699005 - Interpreting Our Heritage by Freeman Tilden, who is often viewed as one of the pioneers in nature interpretation at https://bookshop.org/a/98007/9780807858677 WEBSITES - Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful at KeepCoyoteCreekBeautiful.org - Nature's Archive Podcast at https://naturesarchive.com - Jumpstart Nature at https://jumpstartnature.com - Jumpstart Nature Podcast at https://jumpstartnature.com/podcast/ - BioBlitz Club at bioblitz.club - iNaturalist at https://www.inaturalist.org/ - National Association for Interpretation offers resources, training, continuing education, and certifications in interpretation at https://www.interpnet.com/ - South Bay BioBlitz Events hosted by BioBlitz Club at https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/south-bay-bioblitz-events SOCIAL MEDIA - Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/coyotecreeksj/ - Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CoyoteCreekSJ/ - Nature's Archive Instgram at https://www.instagram.com/naturesarchive - Nature's Archive Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NaturesArchive/ - Jumpstart Nature Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jumpstartnature/ - Jumpstart Nature Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jumpstartnature - BioBlitz Club Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bioblitz.club/ - BioBlitz Club Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bioblitz.club

Naturalist Training - Leaf Miners, Galls, and Other Creatures on Plants During our 3rd Naturalist Training presentation, we will explore some of the fascinating and little-known creatures that live on plants. Galls are small structures induced by insects (usually) on many plant species, they may look like pink stars, fussy hairs, or apples. Leaf miners are tiny fly or moth larva that live between the two layers of the leaf. And there are many others, if you just look closely! This is part 3 of an ongoing series. Part 1 - Community Science and Introduction to iNaturalist can be found at https://youtu.be/ty2Fu7Trz8o Part 2 - A Deeper Dive into Inaturalist can be found at https://youtu.be/_7kJBpDutpg Co-hosts are Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and BioBlitz Club Recording date 9/27/23 == RESOURCE LIST - Merav Vonshak merav.von@gmail.com - Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/bioblitz.club/ - Website https://www.bioblitz.club/, including a short discussion about useful gadgets here. - iNaturalist website: https://www.inaturalist.org == BOOKS - Secrets of the Oak Woodlands: Plants and Animals among California's Oaks, Kate Marianchild 2013 - Leafminers of North America – 2nd Edition – 2022 Charley Eiseman - http://charleyeiseman.com/leafminers/. - Plant Galls of the Western United States, Russo 2021 - Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates: A Guide to North American Species, Eiseman & Charney, 2010 - Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard, Douglas Tallamy, 2020 == WEBSITES - Homegrown National Park @ https://homegrownnationalpark.org/ by Douglas Tallamy, including a native plant finder and other resources - California Native Plant Society @ https://calscape.org/: find the perfect native plant to support life in your yard - The Xerces Society @ https://www.xerces.org/ == PODCASTS - Jumpstart Nature podcast @ https://jumpstartnature.com/category/podcast-episodes/ : The 1st episode will be released on 10/2, and it’s about the yard of the future. - Nature’s Archive podcast @ https://podcast.naturesarchive.com: Episode 79 is about Pollinator Friendly Yards @ https://podcast.naturesarchive.com/2023/09/11/pollinatorfriendlyyards/ - Science Friday: A recent segment about native bees and their relationship with native bees @ https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/local-native-bees/ == iNATURALIST PROJECTS Most of these are manual projects. To contribute observations, please join the project, and then manually select it from the project list. - The wonderful diversity of life on Coast Live Oak: @ https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/the-wonderful-diversity-of-life-on-coast-live-oak -- Our new project, created as an outcome of the presentation @ https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/local-native-bees/ - South Bay BioBlitzes A project including all 108 BioBlitz Club events! @ https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/south-bay-bioblitz-events - Galls of North America: For the entire continent @ https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/galls-of-north-america - Galls of California: California galls only @ https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/galls-of-california - Gall Week Umbrella Project A seasonal event documenting galls from around the world @ https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/gall-week-umbrella-project - Leafminers of North America iNaturalist project @ https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/leafminers-of-north-America == UPCMOMING EVENTS - Fall BioBlitz at the Palo Alto Baylands, Saturday, 10/14, from 9-11 am We’ll document the fall migration together, as well as Baylands plants, insects, and so much more! This event is with Environmental Volunteers. Info & RSVP @ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fall-baylands-bioblitz-with-environmental-volunteers-tickets-686128568017 - BioBlitz at Coyote Creek Trail near McCarthy Rd, Sunday, 10/22, from 9:00-11:30 am This is a favorite fall event location, with migrating birds, beautiful spiders ready for Halloween, and more. This event is with KCCB. Info & RSVP @ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/coyote-creek-trail-bioblitz-registration-717040025017?aff=bb - North Coyote Valley Conservation Area (Laguna Seca), Sunday, 11/5, from 9-12 This event is with SCVAS. Info & RSVP @ https://www.bioblitz.club/event-info/north-coyote-valley-conservation-area-laguna-seca-november-bioblitz - Hellyer Park Fall BioBlitz, Saturday, 11/11, from 9-11:30 This event is with KCCB. More info and link will be available later on BioBlitz.club

This webinar was recorded during the Lorquin Entomological August 2023 meeting. Galls are intriguing plant structures induced by insects (usually), creating a sheltered home for the larval stages of the inducing organism. Galls have diverse and sometimes incredible shapes and colors, and their natural history is equally fascinating, with complex life cycles, tiny opportunistic parasitoids, and more! Dr. Merav Vonshak (Ecologist and Founder of BioBlitz Club) and Michael Hawk (Founder, Jumpstart Nature and host of Nature's Archive podcast) talk about gall biology, common host plants and gall inducers. They discuss how you can find and identify galls, with numerous examples including gall look-alikes.

Naturalist Training - A Deeper Dive into iNaturalist During the second presentation we will discuss how to make better observations, add them into projects, and how to add fields, tags, and annotations. All these features will help your observations stand out, and will make it easier for experts (and you!) to find it and use it. We will also demonstrate how to efficiently search and filter observations. All these features will not only improve the "quality" of your observations, but also your ability to learn from the process. This is Part 2 of a new series of naturalist presentations. Part 1 can be found at https://youtu.be/ty2Fu7Trz8o Co-hosts are Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and BioBlitz Club Recording date 8/23/23 Resource List from Merav Vonshak - Merav Vonshak merav.von@gmail.com - Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/bioblitz.club/ - Website https://www.bioblitz.club/, including a short discussion about useful gadgets here. Some local organizations with great community science programs: - Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful – https://www.keepcoyotecreekbeautiful.... - Sequoia Audubon Society – https://www.sequoia-audubon.org/ - California Academy of Sciences – https://www.calacademy.org/citizen-sc... - Wholly H2O – https://whollyh2o.org/

Naturalist Training - Community Science and Introduction to iNaturalist This interactive presentation is an introduction to community science and iNaturalist. We will explain what iNaturalist is and how we use it at our BioBlitz events. You'll learn the "why" - why should you use the iNaturalist app, if you aren't doing so already, and how can you improve your experience, if you're already a user. We will provide examples of scientific studies using iNaturalist data in order to learn about our environment. This is Part 1 of a new series of naturalist presentations. Co-hosts are Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and BioBlitz Club Recording date 7/19/23 Resource List from Merav Vonshak - Merav Vonshak merav.von@gmail.com - Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/bioblitz.club/ - Website https://www.bioblitz.club/, including a short discussion about useful gadgets here. A few community science programs I mentioned: North America: - **7/22-30** – National Moth Week – document moths at https://nationalmothweek.org/ - eBird – a huge database for reporting bird observations (global) at https://ebird.org - Zooniverse – help researchers analyze data of various studies at https://www.zooniverse.org/ - Firefly Atlas – for firefly observations at https://www.fireflyatlas.org/ - SOD – Sudden Oak Death blitzes at https://nature.berkeley.edu/matteolab/?page_id=148 - Rockd – app for recording geological observations at https://rockd.org/ Bay Area/ California: - The Newt Patrol project – https://www.bioblitz.club/newts - Data at https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pacific-newt-roadkill-main-project-lexington-reservoir - City Nature Challenge – iNaturalist global event at https://www.citynaturechallenge.org/ - Snapshot Cal Coast – https://www.calacademy.org/calcoast - The Jasper Ridge Ant Survey – https://jrbp.stanford.edu/research/jrbp-ant-survey Some local organizations with great community science programs: - Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful – https://www.keepcoyotecreekbeautiful.org/ - Sequoia Audubon Society – https://www.sequoia-audubon.org/ - California Academy of Sciences – https://www.calacademy.org/citizen-science - Wholly H2O – https://whollyh2o.org/ ** if you’d like to hear more about the Newt Patrol or the Jasper Ridge Ant Survey – please email merav.von@gmail.com

When you think of climate change, one might think of wildfires, rising sea levels, and drastic changes in weather. Most people don’t think about the major conservation challenges induced by this issue and how it affects ecologies, shifts the distribution of many species, and introduces invasive intruders to new environments. In this episode of Google Maps Platform Customer Stories, we’ll explore how iNaturalist - a crowdsourced biodiversity recording platform and social network for people who love nature - uses Google Maps Platform to scale the collection of biodiversity data. Watch this video to learn how iNaturalist works, the problems it solves, and more! Resources: Check out iNaturalist → https://goo.gle/3WmlzuJ Check out our blog post →https://goo.gle/3K4Riye Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:40 - Why is the collection of biodiversity data important? 1:42 - What is iNaturalist? 3:38 - How does iNaturalist use Google Maps Platform? 4:57 - How did iNaturalist change the practice of BioBlitzes? 6:15 - What makes the iNaturalist community unique? 6:52 - Why is it vital to pay attention to ecologies? Watch more episodes of Google Maps Platform Customer Stories → https://goo.gle/3NDRzqs Subscribe to Google Maps Platform → https://goo.gle/GMapsPlatform #sustainability #nature

with Michael Hawk and Dr. Merav Vonshak, part of the CNPS Yerba Buena speaker series Galls are intriguing plant structures induced by insects (usually), creating a sheltered home for the larval stages of the inducing organism. They have diverse and sometimes incredible shapes and colors, and their natural history is equally fascinating, with complex life cycles, tiny opportunistic parasitoids, and more! Michael Hawk (Nature's Archive podcast and Jumpstart Nature) and Dr. Merav Vonshak (BioBlitz Club) will talk about gall biology, common host plants and gall inducers. They discuss how you can find and identify galls, with numerous examples including gall look-alikes.

A presentation for the 2021 ICOET conference. Abstract: Since 2017 a group of citizen scientists has been monitoring roadkill mortality of two species of pacific newts: California Newt (Taricha torosa) and Rough-skinned Newt (Taricha granulosa) along a road near Lexington Reservoir, Los Gatos CA. The newts migrate from the hills to the reservoir and the creeks nearby in order to reproduce. They start migrating after the first substantial rains, and head back early spring (November-May). Many of them get hit by the busy traffic on the road surrounding the reservoir. For the past three seasons we have been surveying a 4.2 miles section of the road, recording an average of about 5,000 dead newts per year. This is one of the highest rates of herpetofauna mortality on roads ever reported globally. We record each newt using a smartphone, and share our observations on iNaturalist (https://tinyurl.com/6csrsbf4). We also record other species, with over 800 individuals of 100 species documented so far. Newt roadkill counts were affected by rainfall and frost. Although newts prefer to migrate on rainy nights, once they start migrating, they continue even during a long dry spell. In addition to our monitoring program, this year we also studied the impact of weather conditions on the persistence of dead newts on the road, in order to estimate how many newts are being missed by our teams. We are highly concerned about the survival of the two newt populations. 5,000 dead newts a year are not sustainable. With climate change, fewer breeding ponds will be available for the newts to reproduce in. Plans to develop further recreational activities along this road will attract even more traffic into the area. So far, different attempts by local environmental advocates have failed to engaged the different agencies in finding and funding solutions. We will discuss possible solutions.

Galls are intriguing plant structures induced by insects (usually), creating a sheltered home for the larval stages of the inducing organism. They have diverse and sometimes incredible shapes and colors, and their natural history is equally fascinating, with complex life cycles, tiny parasites, and more! This event is scheduled in the middle of Gall Week 2022 - a global event aiming to document gall diversity worldwide. During the webinar, Michael Hawk (Nature's Archive podcast and Jumpstart Nature) and Dr. Merav Vonshak (BioBlitz Club) talked about gall biology, common host plants and gall inducers. They discussed how you can find and identify galls, with numerous examples including gall look-alikes. This webinar is intended for beginners looking to better understand and learn how to find galls, as well as gall enthusiasts who are already exposed to the diverse world of galls, and would like to learn more. Even though the webinar includes many West Coast species, principles and approaches apply to most locations! Keep CoyoteCreek Beautiful hosted a webinar featuring Merav Vonshak with BioBlitz Club and Michael Hawk with Jumpstart Nature. Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful: keepcoyotecreekbeautiful.org BioBlitz Club: BioBlitz.club Jumpstart Nature: https://jumpstartnature.com Nature's Archive: podcast.naturesarchive.com Recorded September 7, 2022 === Resources Relevant Nature's Archive Podcast Episodes * Podcast interview with Merav Vonshak, covering BioBlitzes and a bit of galls: https://podcast.naturesarchive.com/2020/10/28/merav/ * Podcast interview with Merav Vonshak talking about Gall Week 2021 Podcast: https://podcast.naturesarchive.com/2021/09/29/gallweek2021/ * Podcast interview with Adam Kranz of Gallformers.org: https://podcast.naturesarchive.com/2021/09/14/galls/ BioBlitz.club BioBlitz.club resources * Gall pamphlets, upcoming events == More resources The Russo Western USA Gall Book: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691205762/plant-galls-of-the-western-united-states A really fun 3 minute "Deep Look" video on galls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOgP5NzcTuA USA/Canada gall research and identification. gallformers.org Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates: A Guide to North American Species, Eiseman & Charney, 2010 https://www.powells.com/book/tracks-sign-of-insects-other-invertebrates-a-guide-to-north-american-species-9780811736244?partnerid=32527 Another great book, with some galls, and plenty of other things California Indians and Their Environment by Kent Lightfoot and Otis Parrish, UC Press c. 2009 https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520256903/california-indians-and-their-environment Photographer Joyce Gross, UC Berkeley, https://joycegross.com/index.php, many gall photos https://joycegross.com/galls_ca_oak.php == iNaturalist Gall Projects: * Gall Week 2022 iNaturalist Project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/gall-week-2022 * Galls of California iNaturalist project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/galls-of-california * Galls of North America iNaturalist project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/galls-of-north-america NOTE: Don’t forget to document and note the host plant, even if you can’t identify it. The Iron Gall Ink Website Make your own gall ink irongallink.org

This is the second instructional video on iNaturalist. We go into details on the process I use once I get home from the field, especially after a BioBlitz