Lmst

https://www.inaturalist.org/blog/113107-we-ve-reached-250-million-verifiable-observations

#iNaturalist has dropped a link to a feedback form *specifically pertaining to their partnership with google* on their bsky account. feedback form here: https://inaturalist.typeform.com/to/hCrKAbW0
bsky post in question: https://bsky.app/profile/inaturalist.bsky.social/post/3lreahlo6w22s

so if you have more to say about #iNat partnering with google for "AI", I highly suggest using their provided form.

I signed up on #iNaturalist about 5 years ago and did a few postings/observations. Then, more recently I spoke with enough biologists who said they used the data and it was quite important and encouraged me to contribute to it, especially since I go to out-of-the-way places a lot (look at my observations map).

But, first, I took the time to read through their data/surveillance policy and, while I assumed bots would be *nonconsensually* scraping the data, contributing seemed useful enough to science that I could hold my nose and accept that. But direct, unmediated collaboration with Google and AI-anything is off the table for me.

Bummer, really.

#iNaturalist #iNat #enshittification #FuckAI #KillItWithFire

Blitz the Gap! Challenges for Canadian #inaturalist users designed by biology graduate students to fill in the data gaps. Priorities are practically anywhere away from major population centres and transportation arteries. https://pollocklab.github.io/blitz-the-gap/ #Canada #iNat

Map of Canada showing areas with most iNaturalist observations; as you might expect it pretty much mirrors a map of Canada's population

If you like inat go tell them what you think about google ai

https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-this-inaturalist-and-generative-ai/66140

#inatualist #iNat

Well...I cannot say I am pleased about iNaturalist partnering with Google to develop GenAI. While what iNat would like to do would be incredibly helpful, it can be done by other means (namely, uh, volunteer or employed actual experts?). My main concerns are simple, and yet, unaddressed by the iNaturalist post about this project:
1) How can we be assured that our data that we share with iNaturalist will NOT be shared with Google; as if anything it seems to suggest free sharing between iNat and Google to develop things using Google's GenAI; thus Google does have access even if indirectly.
2) Will we have an opt-out option, so our data is not used in this project

In the end, nature is about community, not machines. And I do not consent to feeding any of my data into Google's GenAI for any purpose.

UPDATE: They updated their post ( https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/113184-inaturalist-receives-grant-to-improve-species-suggestions), and some of my worries are alleviated; namely, Google will not have access to our data from them and they are under no obligation to use Google's infrastructure. However, I still am dubious...for a few reasons which I won't elaborate here. There is a Q&A upcoming.

Photo is one that was used in a presentation, and one of the questions asked by a 60-something year old Doctor of Biology was "That photo is so good! Is it AI?" :blobfacepalm:

#nature #iNat #iNaturalist #AI #google #community #communityScience #science #biology #ecology #cave #photography

A photo, apparently so good it should be AI. The view is looking down into a pit, backlit from below which makes clear crisp highlights of the rock layers. Close to the entrance there is green highlighted due to the moss on the limestone. A rope hangs down, and a person in white helmet and shirt is attached to it, climbing. They lean back (towards the bottom of the image) to look up at the camera and smile. The dynamic lighting and clean lines and composition I guess is too good to be true. How sad is that?

Swallowtail season. Genus: Papilio.

#wildlife #outdoors #butterfly #inat

https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/111771-check-out-these-new-inaturalist-resources

#iNaturalist #iNat

About Serbian 'inat':

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/serbia/articles/the-weird-world-of-inat-like-hygge-but-serbian

#Serbia #inat

Boston, the City Nature Challenge from iNaturalist is in full swing this weekend. Are you joining in?

https://www.bostoncnc.org/

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2025-boston-area
#iNaturalist #inat #massachusetts #boston #science #nature #BostonKids #bostonGeek #citynaturechallenge

Today the City Nature Challenge starts! The Philly project on iNaturalist is here:

:inaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2025-greater-philadelphia-area

One really useful tool is this website that checks what species haven't been observed yet during the challenge, sorted by how commonly they are observed:

http://targets.cncphilly.org/

So finding one of these species is an easy way to start helping. Let's show the world how much nature there is in Philly!

#Philly #Philadelphia #iNaturalist #iNat