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iNaturalist

iNaturalist helps you identify the plants and animals around you while generating data for science and conservation.

  • ​Turn Photos into Science: Your uploaded photos automatically record the exact location, date, and time, creating research-quality data. This data is regularly used by scientists and conservationists to track species ranges, monitor invasive species, and study climate impacts.

  • Improve Your Identification Skills: The app’s image-recognition technology suggests species names on the spot. As you upload, the broader community of experts and naturalists will review, verify, or correct your observations, deepening your knowledge over time.

  • Track Your Personal Finds: It acts as a permanent, searchable digital field notebook. You can easily keep track of what you've seen, where you've seen it, and build your own life lists of local flora and fauna.

  • Contribute to Local Conservation: If you live in or near Brevard, NC, your contributions help document the rich biodiversity of the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can see exactly which wild organisms have recently been spotted in Pisgah National Forest or at Connestee Falls to help land managers protect local habitat.​

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STEP 1: Sign up for a free iNaturalist account and get the app here: www.iNaturalist.org

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STEP 2: Join the Connestee Falls Biodiversity Exploration Project and the Connestee Falls Non-Native Invasive Plant Tracker Project. One of the NRSC’s first initiatives was the development of a Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) focused on the CFPOA’s natural areas. Equinox, the project lead, launched the Connestee Biodiversity Exploration Project (BEP) using iNaturalist. The project’s initial observations provided valuable data for the NRI. In 2023, Equinox completed the NRI Report, identifying six forest types and hundreds of plant species, including five rare plants.

 

When you submit an iNaturalist observation within the boundaries of the Connestee Falls neighborhood, it is automatically added to the Connestee Falls Biodiversity Exploration project! Invasive plant observations will be automatically added to the Invasive Plant project. Every observation adds to the project’s extensive photo collection and provides valuable long-term data about Connestee Falls natural resources. 

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STEP 3: Are you knowledgeable about local flora, fauna, or fungi? We need your help! 

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In iNaturalist, "Research Grade" is a data quality designation. Its primary benefit is that it makes your wildlife observations eligible for export to global scientific databases, allowing researchers worldwide to use your records.

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To reach "Research Grade" on iNaturalist, an observation needs a 2\3 majority consensus on the species identification from the community. This usually means two people must agree on the same identification (e.g., the original observer and one other identifier, or two separate identifiers).To ensure an observation successfully makes the jump to Research Grade, it must also meet these basic conditions:

  • Includes a photo or sound recording

  • Has a valid date and location

  • Is not marked as captive or cultivated​

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If you are knowledgeable about local flora, fauna, or fungi, you can help our Connestee Falls observations become "Research Grade".

  • View Connestee Falls Biodiversity Exploration project observations

  • Comment on an observation to request more information if necessary

  • Suggest ID if you know the species​

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