Everything Under The Sun: At The Intersection Of Nature And Technology

Friday, March 11, 2016

At The Intersection Of Nature And Technology

An announcement for a bioblitz from 2015.

Sometimes, to reach those who aren't involved, you have to get to their level and appeal to them in ways they can understand. Certainly, for those who have been growing up in the Cyber Era, thinking processes are linked to, and mediated by, technology. We all are aware of how often we see cell phones and smartphones out in the community. They become a necessary part of the social world that we negotiate every day, to the point that it can be difficult to put them down and engage fully and openly with another person.

Dan Rademacher has certainly spent a good deal of his time interacting with technology. He has been utilizing his skills to work on data and communications projects for various nonprofit organizations. He was one of the six original organizers of NERDS FOR NATURE (NFN), which brings together people who are passionate about technology, while also having concern for the environment.

In 2014, NFN launched a series of bioblitz campaigns, which took place in urban parks around the San Francisco area. Before each of the eight events, NFN issued a call for those who had smartphones to come together in a specific park, after downloading the iNATURALIST APP.

Participants in the events had a specific period of time in which to record all of their observations of plants and animals that they spotted in the park. Then, participants met together at a designated place and time to watch the data accumulate on a large screen.

The specific intent was to interest a younger group of participants, who would normally not attend an event led by an expert, by providing them with the opportunity to interact as citizen-scientists. Essentially, by utilizing this technique, a wider audience was engaged in this new format, whereas the traditional leader-led hike tends to appeal to an older crowd. Dan expressed his hopes for the experience; he wanted to "help people discover their own power as full participants in the life of the parks they love."

A paper datasheet used in a survey of starfish at Gulf of Farallones Marine Sanctuary.

Currently, NFN operates a MEETUP GROUP, from which it conducts its events. All an interested individual need do is sign up in order to be able to participate in the nature and technology interface. They cover the areas of San Francisco/Oakland and also Silicon Valley. They remain all-volunteer, and encourage participation in their projects. Access them and you, too, can enjoy the intersection of nature and technology.