Community Science at SOLC Preserves?
Contributions are happening!
Yellow garden spider (Argiope aurentica)
Recently, staff at the Rogue River Preserve encountered eight large and gorgeous female spiders, the yellow garden spider (Argiope aurentica). We had not met these micro-charismatic spiders before, but apparently, they are relatively common in our region. We wondered: has anyone else seen these spiders before at the Preserve? And a bigger question: do visitors at our preserves do community science and record the data on online community science forums? Do people document spiders too, including garden spiders? We decided to investigate and ran two tests.
Test 1: Explore iNaturalist observations recorded at the Rogue River Preserve. While the Rogue River Preserve is not open to the public all the time, this 352-acre wildlife haven does have community hike and youth education programs. It also hosts partner events like birding outings with Rogue Valley Audubon Society, and Open Lands Days, where folks can poke around at their own pace.
Example of an observation at Rogue River Preserve on iNaturalist.
Results: So far, 27 observers have made over 4000 observations at the Preserve on “iNat” for 256 species of bees, butterflies, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, flowers, trees, and spiders! There were two observations of a yellow garden spider as well as another species, the banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) which a visitor recorded during a recent work party. So yes, people even document spiders! During our investigation, we also noticed that one special SOLC volunteer, Robert Mumby who volunteers as a docent, photographer, and site steward, has recorded the most observations at the Preserve on iNaturalist. Thanks Robert!
Test 2: What about eBird, an international bird tracking program run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology? Do people document birds by lists, photos, and audio uploads using eBird at the Preserve too?
Rogue River Preserve eBird observation details.
Results: Yes! The Preserve is listed as an eBird hotspot (with restricted access) and since 2017, 130 bird species have been documented by visitors and staff via 122 checklists. These checklists are refereed by eBird volunteers, professional birders, who do not accept “weird occurrences” without more documentation from participants. Our top eBirder at the Preserve is anonymous but has recorded 117 species; the runner up is our bird crazy staff member Kristi Mergenthaler (97 bird species), and the third top eBirder is SOLC member Marion Hadden with 81 species.
Conclusion: We are happy to report that friends, staff, and visitors are reporting useful biological data while visiting the Rogue River Preserve and other preserves. Please keep it up!
