Page 33 - OutdoorOK2024MayJune ONLINE

LOCAL NATURE ORGANIZATIONS

If your preferred learning experiences come
with a side of human connection, consid-
er joining or attending a meeting of a local
nature organization like the Audubon Society,
Oklahoma Ornithological Society, Oklahoma
Herpetological Society, or the Oklahoma
Native Plant Society. These organizations
often have member field trips that would give
you a chance to explore Oklahoma and flex
your identification skills.
Beyond nature-based organizations, many
local and state parks have nature centers or host
nature walks. One ready source of events like
eagle watches or plant walks is travelok.com.
of multiple species. These more-accurate
SWEAT EQUITY range maps can be especially helpful when

Whether you prefer printed field guides, planning new survey and research projects.
online resources, or the human connection,
you’ll need sweat equity to build your identi- • When naturalist Stephen Ofsthun report-
fication skills. That could come from setting a ed a tagged American white pelican he
weekly routine of browsing a guide for 15 min- photographed at Lake Thunderbird to
utes, taking Merlin along for your morning cof- the U.S. Geological Survey’s Bird Banding
fee to test your bird song identification from Laboratory, he helped biologists with the
your back porch, or making a daily or monthly Idaho Department of Fish and Game learn
trek to a local park or your favorite natural area. more about the travel patterns of pelicans
The more you test your identification skills, the hatched in their state.
more comfortable you’ll become with recogniz-
ing Oklahoma’s amazing plants and animals. • Before Amy Buthod, botanist for the
Oklahoma Biological Survey, heads into
HOW SIGHTINGS HELP the field to inventory the state’s plant
Sharing the details of your nature sightings communities, she searches several data-
can be a lot like skipping the perfect rock bases to identify plants that may be
across the water. Documenting the specific growing in her survey area and those
what, when, and where details can help you with incomplete records. iNaturalist has
remember your wild encounters, help fellow been especially helpful, with 139 observa-
naturalists plan their next adventure, and help tions of 51 taxa tracked by the Oklahoma
biologists design their next survey or study. Natural Heritage Inventory made in 2020
Here are just a few examples of how Oklahoma alone! Buthod doesn't just use iNaturalist
sightings have been used for conservation: to connect to nature, it has also helped
her connect with people! A fellow iNatu-
• When the Wildlife Department updated ralist recently reached out about a feder-
“A Field Guide to Oklahoma’s Amphibians ally threatened plant that was previously
and Reptiles,” it used sighting details unknown to occur in Oklahoma. Buthod
shared on platforms like iNaturalist and confirmed the sighting within a week, and
HerpMapper to expand the known ranges the duo published the finding.

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