How to Collect Data: Materials

1. Maps
2. Field guides and other tools
3. Binoculars and cameras
4. Field journals/notebooks
5. Data collection form (pdf)
6. Data submission

Maps

Two topographic maps

1. 1:24,000 (also called a 7.5 minute quad) and
2. a 1:100,000 map (pronounced "one to one hundred thousand" or "1 to 100 K").

• through the USGS website
  
• through map vendors, such as the Washington Department of Natural Resources in Olympia, REI stores, or Mesker Maps in Seattle and Tacoma.

A city street or land use map may be helpful, especially if your area is undergoing a lot of growth, and the USGS maps may be outdated. (Check on the bottom of the map for the map preparation date.) Visit the County Assessor or your city Land Planning offices for a copy of their land use maps.

Learn about mapping >

Field Guides and other tools

Field guides are extremely helpful for identification. Some field guides may have photographs and
others may have drawings. It is recommended to have multiple field guides for the same
taxonomic groups (i.e., birds, plants, etc.).

Life-sized silhouettes of wildlife were created for NatureMapping to teach identification of the
shape and size of animals. Placement of the silhouettes in a classroom, helps students develop
a search image where to look for them.

"Animal Tracks by Steve" sells stencils that allow you to create life-size tracks and trails while helping you learn details about the tracks and natural history of each animal.

Binoculars and Cameras

Binoculars are extremely handy, but not mandatory to do NatureMapping. The prices for good 7x35 or 8x20 power binoculars are very affordable. There are 3-power binoculars available for younger children. These are waterproof and less destructible than the higher power binoculars.

Cameras are very useful. Pictures of before, during, after, and annual updates are valuable for restoration projects. Make sure you label the photo or name the digital picture with location and date. Pictures of unidentified species can be submitted with the data for positive identification.

Field Journals / Notebooks

It is important to record detailed information, whether you are conducting a scientific experiment in a lab or out in the field. We can not remember everything and referring to notes is a critical component of the scientific process. A sketch of the field site (or a photograph) is a handy way to remember your visit.

Field notebooks are important if a question arises after you return from the site. It is much better to have notes than try to guess. Data collected in the field notebooks can be transferred to the NatureMapping Data Collection Form.

The field notebooks can be plain paper or formatted. Listed below are examples of formatted field notebooks.

• Forest
• School yard
• Wetland
• Stream

Data Submission (Washington State)

• Data Submission Guide