Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
7/15/99
Contacts:
Jim Pease, Extension Animal Ecology, (515) 294-7429,
jlpease@iastate.edu
Jason O'Brien Extension Animal Ecology, (515) 294-7222,
natty@iastate.edu
Elaine Edwards, Extension Communication Systems, (515) 294-5168, eedwards@iastate.edu
NatureMapping Program Offered
AMES, Iowa -- NatureMapping is a new program in Iowa designed to give participants the basics of how to collect information on common wildlife species. "There are not enough professionals, time or funding to conduct an inventory of all the nation's flora and fauna," says Jim Pease, Iowa State University Extension wildlife specialist. "Long-term projects are scarce. One way to achieve the needed inventory is to involve an interested public in helping us." Pease and Extension Wildlife Assistant Jason O'Brien direct the NatureMapping Program in Iowa.
The NatureMapping Program is a hands-on environmental education program that is growing and evolving. Iowa is the third state in the nation to implement the program. "Involving the public in 'finding the pieces of the puzzle' is what NatureMapping is all about," Pease claims. "For the first year of the program in Iowa, we are concentrating on terrestrial vertebrate species of wildlife. In future years, we expect to add an aquatic unit that includes mussels and other invertebrates, a terrestrial invertebrate unit, and, eventually, a plant unit." He added that the goal is "to keep Iowa's common wildlife common."
Workshops are held around the state. Anyone interested in starting a NatureMapping project should plan to attend one of these workshops. The workshops will be held on the following dates: Aug. 13 in Creston at the Green Valley Area Education Agency (AEA 14); Sept. 18 in Des Moines County near Burlington at the Starr's Cave Nature Center; and Oct. 9 in Woodbury County north of Sioux City at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center. All workshops will begin at 9 a.m. and end by 4 p.m. Workshop expenses are paid for through a grant from the Resource Enhancement and Protection-Conservation Education Program (REAP-CEP). There is no participant fee for these workshops. Lunch will be provided for those who pay $5 at the door. For registration information, contact Pease at (515) 294-7429, e-mail at jlpease@iastate.edu or O'Brien at (515) 294-7222, e-mail at natty@iastate.edu.
"Many people and groups can become involved. Individuals, schools and other community groups can all participate," O'Brien says. "Individuals can provide much needed data by recording wildlife observations around their home, when hiking, watching their feeders or other wildlife-related activities."
School participation can vary depending on the size and scope of the projects chosen. "It can fulfill a valuable service to the community as well as engaging students in a related project of data collection and analysis," he adds. Communities may wish to preserve or restore sites: a species diversity report card is the beginning framework on which to construct long-term plans. "Mapping species diversity is an important early step towards progressive community planning," he contends.
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Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.