Contribute
Every observation you record on iNaturalist or eBird on or near WashU's Danforth Campus helps grow this platform's shared biodiversity dataset. Records from both platforms are pulled in automatically and merged into the WashU Biodiversity database, so there's nothing extra to do beyond making the observation itself.
iNaturalist is a free app and website where anyone can record observations of plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms. Snap a photo, and the community, along with an AI-assisted identification tool, helps confirm what you've found. Observations that reach "Research Grade" become usable scientific data.
How to contribute an observation:
- Download the iNaturalist app (iOS/Android) or visit inaturalist.org.
- Create a free account.
- Photograph what you find on or near Danforth Campus and submit it with the date, location, and a species guess if you have one.
- Add your observation to the WashU Biodiversity Inventory project so it's counted here.
eBird, run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a free platform dedicated to bird observations. Spot a bird on or near campus and log it as a quick "incidental" observation, just like on iNaturalist, and your sighting helps build a real-time picture of bird distribution and abundance worldwide.
How to contribute an observation:
- Download the eBird app or visit ebird.org.
- Create a free account.
- Log the bird you saw as an incidental observation, with the date and location.
- Submit it when you're done.
Already have structured observation data, whether from a course bio blitz, an independent research project, or another survey? Submit it directly for review.