×

State wants citizen scientists to report insect sightings

The state Department of Environmental Conservation and New York Natural Heritage Program are seeking citizens that are willing to report, or even capture, insects they see around the house.

“Native pollinators play an essential role in the pollination of flowering plants, including native plants and wildflowers, garden plants, as well as cultivated crops,” the Empire State Native Pollinator Survey says. “Some native pollinator species have suffered population declines over the last few decades.

“The goal of the Empire State Native Pollinator Survey is to determine the conservation status of a wide array of native insect pollinators in nonagricultural habitats. Conservation status is typically determined from data on a species’ rarity, trends, and threats.”

Members of the public can contribute by taking photos or catching insects, storing and submitting specimens to the state.

“Your help will allow us to gather much more information than we would otherwise and allow us to cover a much larger portion of the state,” the ESNPS Participant Handbook reads. “Since insect pollinators are not as well-known as other kinds of wildlife, our project requires vouchers in the form of photographs or specimens. Some species cannot be confirmed without a specimen voucher, and we will defer to experts to identify photographic and specimen vouchers and determine whether they can be identified confidently to species level, and therefore, whether a record can be accepted.”

People wishing to help can sign up online at www.nynhp.org/pollinators. There will also be a workshop at The Wild Center museum in Tupper Lake on Saturday, June 29.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.75/week.

Subscribe Today