community science

10 ways to collect better firefly data

Firefly researchers (professionals and community scientists alike) often find themselves on a steep learning curve when gathering data on firefly species, especially when they are using methods that don’t involve collecting specimens. This post breaks down some of the ways to ensure that the data you are collecting is as useful as possible for species, …

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How are Firefly Atlas data used?

Candace Fallon, Senior Endangered Species Conservation Biologist If you submit data to the Firefly Atlas, you might be wondering what becomes of that information. You likely know that we are crowdsourcing data to better understand firefly distributions, seasonality, habitat associations, and more. But what does that mean in practice? And who has access to this …

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Pacific Northwest fireflies: Myth or reality?

By Candace Fallon, Senior Endangered Species Conservation Biologist I’ll cut straight to the chase: reality. Fireflies in the Pacific Northwest are very real, although they may not quite match up to the image you have in your mind. Nineteen species of fireflies have been reported from the Pacific Northwest, which we are defining here to …

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Fireflies flashing in front of trees

What if I don’t live in a Firefly Atlas focal region?

By Richard Joyce, Endangered Species Conservation Biologist You’ve created a Firefly Atlas account, looked over the participant handbook, and watched the training video. You’ve read the Community Science Code of Conduct, gathered the equipment you’ll need, and printed out survey data-sheets. There’s just one issue: you don’t live in any of the focal regions highlighted …

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