iNaturalist Ambassador

The global science platform iNaturalist recently started an Ambassador Program, and I’m pleased to announce that, as of September 2025, I’ve been accepted as part of their first cohort of ambassadors. iNaturalist is a community science platform where users can record and share observations of plants, fungi, and animals to contribute to biodiversity research. Through its website and mobile app, it allows people to identify species using community consensus and AI assistance, making it both a tool for learning about the natural world and a generator of valuable data for scientists. I’ve been using it personally for years, and have introduced dozens of students to the platform, often making it part of my course curriculum as a way of sharing the wildlife observations they have made during field trips.

As an ambassador, I’ll be hosting events – such as bioblitzes, field trips, and informational talks – to introduce new people (mostly my own College of Marin students) to the platform, helping them get started with high-quality observations, offering guidance with identifications and data stewardship, and cheering them on as they continue to explore and contribute. I will also continue to support current iNaturalist community members with the tools and confidence to expand their own use of the platform. I’m honored to help represent a project that has fueled so much learning and curiosity in my own life, and I can’t wait to encourage more people to discover the joy of paying close attention to the world around them.

One of the ways I’ve contributed over the years is by creating and managing projects that focus on a specific geographic location or event. You can find details about these projects (along with all the species observations associated with each) by following the links below.