Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve is currently closed to all public programs and non-essential research activity. But Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area is just down the road, and a great location for a socially distanced alternative to our Cedar Creek Summer Survey. So I invite you to take part in our latest asynchronous tracking club event, the Carlos
Avery Wildlife Survey. Here is a quick overview:
The Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area
covers about 24,000 acres to the south and east of Cedar Creek. It is
about 2/3 wetland and 1/3 upland and is managed primarily for Deer,
Waterfowl and Turkey. Interior roads at Carlos Avery are now open to motor vehicle traffic, and there are parking areas located throughout the property. You can download a PDF map that shows parking locations here. Many of the roads at Carlos Avery have sections of loose dirt or sand that capture clear tracks. Many are also heavily used by people and dogs. Only a few areas seem to reliably offer clear tracks of wild animals. You may have more success recording sign. Check out the observations from our Spring Survey to get an idea of where you might go to see various types of tracks and sign. Carlos Avery is considered a prime spot for
birding. You may want to bring binoculars and think about how to share
bird observations on iNaturalist. Maybe time to try digiscoping? As
most of you know, we use iNaturalist as a
tool for recording and sharing our observations. This platform will be
even more valuable for this survey as we get out on our own and make
individual observations. If you do not already have an iNaturalist
account, you can get one here. For
this survey, our iNaturalist observations are not only a record of what
we find, they are also the way we will be able to discuss what we see
and get others help with identification and interpretation. Because of
this, we will want to document our findings more thoroughly than we may
be used to. Here are a few tips:
At
the end of the weekend, you are invited to join us on a Zoom video
conference to share your story of the day, ask and answer questions, and
see what others found. We will gather on Sunday afternoon, so everyone
will have time to do some of their own research, upload observations,
and even get feedback from others on iNaturalists. Team
leads will be reviewing observations on Saturday evening and Sunday
afternoon. Here are all the details on the gathering: Sunday, June 14, 4:00 PM We recommend registering for the gathering in advance. To register, follow this link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. |
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