Hello all,
I am officially at the end of my internship with the National Park Service and Appalachian Mountain Club. In the past 12 weeks, I launched this project and collected observations from over 1000 of you! I am so grateful for your participation in this project. Your observations have proven once again that using iNaturalist as a research tool is possible. From the 3000+ observations in this project, I was able to create baseline metrics for analysis of flowering and fruiting in native plants along the New England Trail. I found that yellow trout lily, jack-in-the-pulpit, and Canada mayflower will be the best indicators of spring for the region. I also found that many factors such as elevation and latitude impact when seasons arrive.
Only through your efforts could I have begun this project and made these scientific conclusions. But this project is by no means over! The New England Trail Nature Watch will continue to live on as a tool for AMC and the NET’s conservation research efforts. While I may be leaving my position as project administrator, I will continue to contribute - I hope you all do as well.
I had a great time getting to know you all, and see what you’ve observed over the years. I wish you all the best and happy observing!
P.S. If anyone is interested in becoming a curator for this project please message @val_neuhausser or @gmurray on iNaturalist! This volunteer opportunity will aid our research greatly and can occur remotely on your own time!