Be a Naturalist

We’re inviting everybody – adults, kids, at-risk youth, dog people, hikers, birders, naturalists, kayakers, experienced bioblitzers, and especially those who aren’t in the habit of noticing their ecosystem to be “community and community naturalist’s” and photograph species in their watershed. You can take photographs and upload all of the observations to the super cool app, iNaturalist.

To provide opportunities for Californians to become acquainted with watersheds and that our behavior influences the health of all of our WaterHood neighbors. Children, teens, and adults become data-gathering “community and community naturalist’s.”

One great way to get to know the neighbors in your waterhood is by using community/community science. You will be grabbing photos and engaging with little known and common species in your area as part of our exciting events.

Moth Night at Point Molate with Naturalist Damon Tighe and partners Point Molate Alliance

While bioblitzes are just one form of community science, they are a wonderful gateway into deeper forms of community science. A bioblitz is a gathering of people who have come together to record as many species within a designated location and time period as possible. Most often, we collect any and all species, but a bioblitz can also focus on a single category, such as birds, or even a specific species, such as a rare plant. They are super fun and engaging events that connect people to their environment while generating useful data for science and conservation. Often joining a bioblitz can create the ongoing “itch” to dive deeper into watershed ecology.

Bioblitzes are also an excuse for naturalists, naturalists, and curious members of the public to meet in person and share their knowledge with one another and with newbies! Get out there and get to know your wonderful watershed! Look below to see an upcoming Wholly H₂O Bioblitz.

Click below to view the Point Molate Bioblitzes

Albany Bulb Bioblitz, with naturalist Patricia Donald

While at home we encourage you to gain a better understanding of your community’s ecosystem. So what are the first species you notice when you look out your window or step onto the sidewalk? Is it a native bee or a common bird? A great way to get involved is through iNaturalist. iNaturalist “is a social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature”. But How can you be social while not doing things in groups? Simple, others on iNaturalist will look at your observations to see if you’re correctly identified or to add an ID, you can do the same for others. iNaturalist has really easy to use, step-by-step instructions for the very simple process of making verifiable observations. For instructions on how to get started, click below!

“Nature journaling can happen anywhere, from a kitchen window to a neighborhood stroll. With the right tools and ways of observing, you can document the bird sitting on a telephone wire, the beans in your pantry, the flower blooming in your neighbor’s front yard, the weed pushing through the cracks in the sidewalk, or the vine creeping up the side of your apartment building” (John Muir Laws)

We continue to add to this document every day.
Want to add your resource or event? Send it to info@whollyh2o.org

Don’t have time to volunteer but want to contribute to our cause? Donate to Wholly H₂O!

Interested in Benefitting from a Wholly H₂O intern or volunteer position? See current opportunities here.