NPSO 2023 Annual Meeting
Resources for Citizen Scientists and Naturalists
Plant Identification Tools & Apps
Oregon Flora Project Plant Identifier Online: https://oregonflora.org/checklists/dynamicmap.php?interface=key. An easy-to-use plant identification tool based on the plant features you recognize.
Oregon Wildflower App: http://highcountryapps.com/OregonWildflowers.aspx. Expand your knowledge and enjoyment of Oregon's abundant wildflowers--both monocots and dicots--with the Oregon Wildflowers App. This easy-to-use plant identification app is a photo-rich guide to over 1,050 wildflowers, vines and shrubs throughout the state. Works on Apple, Android, and Kindle devices.
iNaturalist Online: https://www.inaturalist.org. A social network for naturalists! Record your observations of plants and animals, share them with friends and researchers, and learn about the natural world.
iNaturalist Seek App: https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app. Use the power of image recognition technology on your mobile device to identify the plants and animals all around you.
Beginning iNaturalist for IOS and Android: https://youtu.be/K16_W8QwBks. OSU Land Steward Program Community Education Class presented by Rachel Werling M.S. Rachel leads the Land Steward Program for Oregon State University Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center and she is president of the Siskiyou Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon. Have Fun. Learn. Get Out In Nature. Make A Difference! Spring is coming! Flowers and leaves will be popping soon and so will your plant questions! iNaturalist is a fun and powerful community science tool that is (almost) like having a dichotomous key in your pocket.
The USA National Phenology Network: https://www.usanpn.org/home. The USA-NPN brings together volunteer observers, government agencies, non-profit groups, educators and students of all ages to monitor the impacts of climate change on plants and animals in the United States. Nature's Notebook is a national phenology program in which professional and volunteer scientists record long-term observations of plant and animal life stages.
Mapping Resources
Google Earth: https://www.google.com/earth/versions. You can use Google Maps to zoom into an area to see satellite imagery of your area. You can add layers like roads and places. You can digitize polygons to create projects and you can create tours. Most recent imagery is old (2016) and doesn't show the most recent fire activity in our part of the Cascades (which has been significant in the past 5 years). FREE
Avenza Maps: https://www.avenza.com/avenza-maps. You can use Avenza to locate where you are, digitize survey routes and you can load project data into your map. FREE but maps cost a small fee.
Books
Flora of Oregon, Volumes 1 & 2. https://oregonflora.org/pages/flora-of-oregon.php
100 Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades, 4th Ed. Sullivan, William. 2012. Navillus Press, Eugene, OR. Available from a variety of online booksellers.
History of the Willamette National Forest. USDA - Forest Service, PNW Region. Rakestraw, L., Rakestraw, M. 1991. https://foresthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/HISTORY-OF-THE-WILLAMETTE-NATIONAL-FOREST.pdf
Staying Put in Lane County. Luek, Whitey. 2015. 192 p. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. (Includes essays about the McKenzie watershed). https://sites.google.com/a/fm.books-now.com/inaccola28/9781514680681-81atdeGEdicten73
Wildflowers of the Western Cascades. Ross, R. & H. Chambers. 1988. Timber Press, Portland, OR. Available from a variety of online booksellers.
Web Sites
Mountain Plants of the Western Cascades (by Emerald Chapter member Tanya Harvey): http://westerncascades.com
Willamette National Forest: http://www.fs.usda.gov/willamette
If you have questions that aren't answered here, send email to annualmeeting@npsoregon.org.