I came across this instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CbvdQhYLqhP/ Thoughts?

There’s no easy to answer to this, and we’re trying to navigate it the best we can. I know one point made in the meetings we’ve had with state heritage reps and NatureServe is that we often just don’t know for sure how bad actors (or at least uncaring/unaware ones) find locations. A lot of it is gue…

Two earlier relevant discussions https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/people-who-break-rules-in-parks-nwrs-etc/9758/16 and some very unhappy comments on this one - why do you always have to spoil everything?! https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/rock-stacking-is-it-ok/24187

I just wanted to ask since we are missing a huge educational opportunity in this discussion: Can the experts here explain how to herp ethically? Leave it all how you found it. Dont squish the herp. Keep the interactions short and dont touch unless needed. Take only photos not herps. Anything e…

Especially for amphibians, don’t touch unless absolutely required. If moving between amphibian sites or handling multiple amphibians, use gloves, new (or disinfected since last use) containers, etc. Disinfect equipment and boots/waders. https://www.arguk.org/info-advice/advice-notes/324-advice-note…

I’d add: Report any sightings of listed or uncommon herps to the relevant state/provincial/federal authorities, as well as to the landowner (if the landowner is a conservation entity). Don’t assume that uploading an observation to iNat or any other such database can substitute for a direct report…

I see the points made on both sides of this argument, but always tend toward being more open, sharing, and trying to create a better world. On a side note, from that IG post, someone mentioned misidentifying species as common ones to get around auto-obscuring threatened taxa. I have never even thou…

[image] thrasherbird: if there is even one ID as a rare species it should stay obscured that’s exactly how it works – if any active ID is of a taxon that gets obscured, the location is obscured

[image] artemesia: Personally, though, I’m extremely skeptical of the necessity behind having exact GPS coordinates for everything be public by default to begin with. I obscure all of my observations and only have them viewable to 2 people from a state agency; no one else is even half as trustwo…

This is where the right circle of people and agencies with a “need to know” should be contacted and included for sharing location information. If a species is living on the edge of a road where maintenance actions might impact it, the state department of transportation or local road agency should b…

no, but it is a very concrete example of why obscuring data also can have direct negative conservation implications. There’s a fair bit of gatekeeping wrapped in here too, by some of the people who push for more obscuring, especially when they themselves have access to said data.

Downsides to iNat observation locations (with emphasis towards herps)

General

jwidness April 7, 2022, 3:31pm 56

that’s exactly how it works – if any active ID is of a taxon that gets obscured, the location is obscured

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Downsides to iNat observation locations (with emphasis towards herps)

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