Your students can add to the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) Global Biodiversity Observations Project

Educators who are looking for a way to get students into the field to observe nature and help document local and global biodiversity may visit the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) Global Biodiversity Observations project on iNaturalist.org.

Each month a theme is chosen, and project members document organisms that fit into that theme. Once verified on iNaturalist.org, images will be added to EOL species pages. EOL is a free resource of biodiversity information with contributions from scientists, citizen scientists and the public. This is a foundational exercise for building science skills and encouraging students to ask questions about the natural world.

To get started:

Step 1: Visit iNaturalist.org and create an account. The iNaturalist app can be downloaded onto smartphones

Step 2: Visit the EOL Global Biodiversity Observations project page and click “Join Project”

Step 3: Get outside to take pictures of plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms. Then upload to iNaturalist and add them to the project.

For questions about this project or about using iNaturalist with students, educators may contact Amy Lorenz at alorenz@eol.org.

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