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TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY Where Are the Herps? HERPMAPPER TAKES CITIZEN SCIENCE TO THE NEXT LEVEL By Christopher E. Smith and Vanessa R. Lane Reptiles and amphibians have intrigued humanity since the beginning of written history. Tales of dragons, serpents and other mystical beasts such as the Japanese kappa are rooted in the real and sometimes bizarre and fascinating forms known as herpetofauna. Even today, reptiles and amphibians — or more simply “herps” — continue to intrigue scientists and the general population alike. These enthusiasts often participate in herpetological clubs or societies that encourage members of all skill levels to search for reptiles and amphibians in the wild. Known as “herpers,” they frequently spend time in the field looking for reptiles and amphibians and recording their observations, often in areas where documentation of species may be scarce or even lacking. Other people may casually observe amphibians and reptiles in the course of their outdoor activities and become curious about these creatures. Much like birdwatchers who report their observations to centralized databases such as eBird, these citizen scientists can help provide valuable records of herp occurrence, rarity and distribution — even for species that are difficult to find. Collectively, their observations provide one of the most basic needs of conservation and research organizations: access to high-quality data on species occurrence. Record it, share it To capture these observations, a small, volunteer group formed the global HerpMapper Project. Its site, www.HerpMapper.com — which provides a user-friendly interface for citizen scientists and biologists to record and share herp observations — was launched in September 2013. Although other important herpetofaunal databases exist, the volunteer-run HerpMapper offers a more simplified and interactive approach to sharing data with conservation professionals. Users must first create an account so that their recorded observations can be added to the centralized database. Account holders, who retain access to all the records they create, can then create records of their observations via a web browser or in real-time using a mobile device application called Mobile Mapper. To encourage submissions, the project founders designed HerpMapper to be engaging and easy for people of any skill level to record and share their observations. The website also helps users keep track of their herpetofaunal sightings or store data for scientific research. Credit: Mike Pingleton HerpMapper project administrators Donald Becker (left) and Christopher Smith (right) measure an eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi ) during a field visit with The Orianne Society in Georgia. The Orianne Society is one of over 45 HerpMapper Partners that use records, such as this snake observation collected in the database, to better understand species distributions and inform conservation activities. HerpMapper has a number of interactive tools. For example, users can easily display their own data points in Google Earth. The site also includes a profile 34 The Wildlife Professional, March/April 2017 © The Wildlife Society
page that displays statistics on the account holder’s finds and links to their most recent records. One just-for-fun feature is a lifelist that auto-updates based on recorded observations. Users receive achievement badges for reaching certain levels such as number of records and species. The project team continues to add new interactive and educational features all the time to keep the site fun and engaging. A recent example is the ability for users to graph their own species encounter rates. Users can also view other herp observations, minus latitude and longitude coordinates, from around the world as they are recorded, provided that the individual has not chosen to hide the record from public view. Mining the data In return for the features listed above, users agree up front to make their records freely available to HerpMapper’s Data Partners — something that sets HerpMapper apart from many other citizen science projects. These vetted groups use the data for research, conservation and preservation purposes. Only the individual user and the three project administrators have access to all the data within a user’s account, while HerpMapper Partner organizations are granted access to data that falls specifically within their geographic work area or project scope. For example, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department can only access data from Texas. Other users of HerpMapper and the general public can see the basic information in submitted records, but they do not have access to the exact location where the herp was spotted. To protect herp populations and habitats, records list the general location by county, province or other equivalent geopolitical unit. Nevertheless, these observations, whether from targeted searches or incidental encounters, can provide valuable insight into species’ distributions, habitats occupied and activity patterns. Accuracy counts HerpMapper data are constantly reviewed for identification accuracy, both by moderators and by actively involved citizens. All users can flag records with suspected errors using a built-in button or Credit: Vanessa Lane Students at Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College measure the carapace length of yellow-bellied sliders (Trachemys scripta scripta ) captured and released as part of their nongame wildlife management course. The students entered the data on these turtles and others they captured in the HerpMapper database. Find Out More and Help Support HerpMapper For more information, visit www.herpmapper.org or send email to info@herpmapper.org. Also, you can follow HerpMapper on Facebook and on Twitter via @HerpMapper. HerpMapper is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven labor-of-love. Donations to HerpMapper.org are welcome and can be made at HerpMapper.org/Donate. © The Wildlife Society www.wildlife.org 35
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