Continuing Education and
Communication Services
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
8/22/01
Contacts:
For general information and Linn County workshop: Jason O'Brien, Department
of Animal Ecology, (515) 294-6440, jpobrien@iastate.edu
For Dickinson County workshop: Barbara Tagami, Dickinson County Conservation
Board, (712) 338-4238, bartag@hotmail.com
For Black Hawk County workshop: Amber Shinn, Black Hawk County Conservation
Board, (319) 277-2187
Del Marks, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-9807,
delmarks@iastate.edu
For Immediate Release
NatureMapping Workshops Offered in Three Locations
AMES, Iowa -- Workshops on NatureMapping, a process for studying Iowa wildlife, will be held in September and October in three Iowa communities.
NatureMapping is a program offered by Iowa State University Extension designed to give participants the basics of how to collect information on common Iowa wildlife species. "There are not enough professionals, time or funding to conduct an inventory of all the nation's flora and fauna," said Jason O'Brien, coordinator of Iowa NatureMapping. "Long-term projects are scarce. One way to achieve the needed inventory is to involve an interested public in helping us."
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," O'Brien said. "For now, we are concentrating on terrestrial vertebrate species of wildlife; the amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds of Iowa. In future years, we expect to add an aquatic module that includes mussels, a terrestrial invertebrate module, and eventually, a plant module." He added that the goal is "to keep Iowa's common wildlife common."
Anyone interested in starting a NatureMapping project should plan to attend one of three workshops that will be held around the state in September and October, O'Brien said. Workshops currently scheduled for this year include:
Sept. 15 -- Linn County, Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon City Hall
Sept. 29 -- Dickinson County, Lakeside Laboratory
Oct. 13 -- Black Hawk County, Cedar Falls, Hartman Reserve Nature Center
For registration information, contact O'Brien at (515) 294-6440, at jpobrien@iastate.edu, or visit the NatureMapping website at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/naturemapping.
"All types of people and groups can become involved. Individuals, schools and other community groups can participate," O'Brien says. "Individuals can provide much needed data by recording wildlife observations around their home, when hiking, watching their feeders or doing 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 their community as well as engaging students in a related project of data collection and analysis," he added.
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 said.
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Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.