How to Become a Contemporary Naturalist

Are naturalists still around?

Contemporary naturalists are individuals who are interested in exploring and studying the natural world around them. The focus could be any aspect of nature, such as plants, animals, or general environmental awareness. Whether you are a scientist, a hobbyist, or simply someone who loves being outside, there are many ways you can become a contemporary naturalist.

Can I become a naturalist?

It is easier than ever to get involved in conservation today. International travel is not required to make an impact worldwide. There is also plenty to be done right in your community. You don’t need a fancy college degree to discuss ecological topics. Nor do you need to be independently wealthy, as much can be done for free, at very little cost, or for just a snippet of your time.

Learn common bird calls around your neighborhood.

Many birds enjoy making their presence known through song. This allows us to identify individuals down to the species without laying eyes on them. Common birds, like the American robin (Turdus migratorius), can usually be heard readily in most yards. Why not just learn how to identify them by sight? Well, that’s certainly something to work on too, but oftentimes you will only be able to hear the birds and not see them. This is especially true for birds that spend most of their time in the tree canopy.

There are countless ways to begin learning the different sounds and songs of these species. One of my favorite ways is by playing games on Larkwire, an app for mastering bird sounds and visual identification. There is a whole set of common bird songs you can access for free, while more advanced ones can be purchased as add-ons inside the app. The popular eBird mobile app can also help you identify birds by simply recording their songs. The app will automatically search the eBird sound database and return suggested IDs. I am also a huge fan of surfing YouTube to find videos on bird identification.

Discover and explore your watershed.

Every location on land, including where you live and work, is part of a watershed. These large swaths of land funnel a large portion of available water to an outlet, such as a stream or bay. One way I think of it is that every drop of water is just trying to get back to the ocean. Take some time to identify the boundaries of your watershed (this USGS tool can help you with that). Remember, a single property might even be within multiple watersheds.

Exploring your watershed both on the ground and via maps can give you a complete view. Think about what goes on throughout this area and whether you would like to be downstream of it. As you can imagine, local influences have a collective effect along this pathway, whether positive or negative. This snowballing potential is the exact reason why land managers need to think on a landscape scale. It also highlights the importance of entire community conservation efforts.

Use mobile apps to explore nature around you.

Whether you are ordering pizza or trying to identify an unknown plant, there is an app out there for you. Most popular apps are available on both iOS and Android, so accessing them should not be much trouble. Some even have the ability to download content for offline use, so you can still use the app while away from cell service.

The following apps are some of my favorites when it comes to recording nature observations and getting help with an ID.

• iNaturalist — a social network for sharing biodiversity information with other naturalists in your region and conservation scientists around the world. iNaturalist can help you identify unknown plants and animals through AI image recognition and a community of contributors.
• Merlin Bird ID — helps you identify birds you see and hear by referencing data on eBird, the world’s largest database of bird sightings, sounds, and photos. Merlin Bird ID can use deep learning to provide ID suggestions based on photos and sound recordings.
• eBird Mobile — allows you to record your bird observations while in the field and link those records to their worldwide database for you and scientists to reference. eBird Mobile allows you to build checklists based on your location and includes scientific and common names for birds around the world.
• Nature’s Notebook — a program for observing and recording plant and animal life cycle events, like flowering and bird migration. Nature’s Notebook connects your observations to the databases of the USA National Phenology Network.

Collect and identify local plants electronically.

The wealth of plant diversity is mind-blowing when you first set off. It can be hard to imagine how anyone might begin exploring this world of wonderment. While some choose to dive straight into the plant taxonomy literature, that might lead to jargon overload and eventual dismissal. I usually suggest that folks start with a general survey of the plants around them.

Take a walk through your property or local natural area and stop if you see a plant you are not familiar with. Examine how the specimen is positioned in its surroundings and what the conditions are where it is growing. If local laws and regulations allow you to do so, consider collecting this plant so you can examine it once you are out of the field. In some situations, it might be preferable to collect the plant digitally via your cell phone. Consider using an app like iNaturalist to submit a new record, or simply take several photos of the plant to reference later on.

Note: Many natural areas, state parks, and other designations have specific laws preventing the collection of plant material without the proper permit, so be sure to check with local authorities before heading into the field.

Read nature books and ecology articles.

There are lots of high-quality ecology books out there. Some writings can be technical, while others are on the light reading side. I try to include a good mixture of both throughout my reading selection. If you are just beginning your naturalist journey, consider reading introductory texts or flipping through a descriptive field guide.

Remember that building with all the books in it? You should really take advantage of your local library resources! I did a quick search on the website of my library for ecology and it returned over fifty books on the subject. Librarians are also some of the best people in the world and can often point you in the right direction.

There are also thousands of free online books on conservation, ecology, and many other topics. Most of these are publications put out by research groups or universities across the country. A simple web search of “topic + filetype:pdf” will usually provide you with some nice options to peruse.

Volunteer for a local nonprofit conservation group.

Enjoy doing great work for nature? Great to hear! Local conservation groups need dedicated people like you to achieve their missions. Land trusts, natural study societies, conservation organizations, and many other groups rely on support from local citizens to keep their entities running.

It’s not all pulling weeds and applying herbicide either. Fundraising, clerical work, social media content creation, website maintenance, education, and bookkeeping are the common tasks needed by many organizations.

Take a master naturalist class.

Community education classes, like the Master Naturalist program, are a perfect way to gain exposure to different science topics. These programs typically operate out of University extension offices in cooperation with other organizations and focus on conservation education.

Community education classes are both an excellent way to learn about nature and meet like-minded conservationists in your neighborhood. Participants learn about the ecology of their local environment and the importance of protecting biodiversity. They also get the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the natural world, through hands-on field trips and activities.

Look through threatened and endangered species lists.

Most states and regions have a designated list of threatened and endangered (T&E) resources. Most can be found online through your state’s natural resources agency. These lists are not something a species wants to be on. Inclusion typically means that local levels for that species or subspecies are way lower than they should be to maintain a healthy population.

Learning about T&E species in your area can be pretty eye-opening. Even we biologists need to brief ourselves occasionally on new species of concern. Find a listed species you do not know much about, then research the known life history and reason(s) for listing. More often than not, the two are linked. Look into the primary threats and how to mitigate them.