Michigan Environment

DNR calls on citizen scientists to report cougars, feral hogs, and other wildlife with new app

Michigan Public | By Stateside Staff

Published August 9, 2017 at 5:27 PM EDT

The massasauga rattlesnake is one of the animals the DNR hopes to gather information about through its new app for citizen scientists.

Stateside's conversation with Tom Weston, chief technology officer for the Department of Natural Resources.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources doesn’t have enough people out in the field to keep an eye on everything in nature, so it relies on hunters, hikers, anglers, and activists to report things that are out of the ordinary.

But there was a problem with the department’s method of getting that information: red tape. The DNR had 15 different observation forms.

But now, there's an app for that.

It’s called “Eyes in the Field” and it lets you report what you see to the DNR right from your computer or mobile device.

Tom Weston, chief technology officer for the DNR, joined Stateside today to explain what the department hopes citizens scientists will be able to do with the new tool.

Weston said right now, the department is looking for people to report information about lake sturgeon, diseased wildlife, the massasauga rattlesnake, and more.

Listen above to learn exactly how the app works, and what the DNR hopes it will accomplish.(Subscribe to the Stateside podcast oniTunes,Google Play, or with thisRSS link)