Wisconsin Nature Mapping

In grad school a few years back I got into the phenomenon of Participatory Mapping, also known as Community Mapping.

For our friends in Wisconsin, you'd be especially interested in Wisconsin Nature Mapping. Spot a bobcat? Log it. Is that a Northern River Otter? Mark its location. House cat? Yep, there's a tick box for that.

The purpose of this project is to help state biologists make better-informed decisions on wildlife action plans. They can't be everywhere at once, but everyone is somewhere right now. And as every scientists knows, data is priceless.

So, Wisconsinites or anyone passing through the state, next time you see a cool animal, or even a not-cool one, log on, put in your thumbtack and log your sighting. Your contribution will not go unappreciated.

And by the way, if you want to check out my contribution, click on the Critters Map link on the home page. When the map pops up, find Bayfield County in the north along Lake Superior. Zoom into the Apostle Islands. In the mammals box on the right, check Deer, White-tailed. See the entry on York Island? That's me. I'm quite surprised that after four years I'm the only person to report a deer sighting on any of the islands.