About us
Learn, Participate, Conserve has been the foundation of Naturedigger since we started our journey in 2012. Our mission has always been to educate the public then engage them in scientific research and data collection. We know this hands-on involvement leads to more nature enthusiasts, and ultimately, conservationists. We provide education through our apps and website so users are able to learn about a subject, then participate in programs that welcome citizen scientists' contributions, (or act on your own), then ultimately conserve what you now understand and find important and relevant to your life. It is our hope that Naturedigger's commitment to providing free, quality, nature education will create a new generation of volunteer naturalists/citizen scientists who share one very important goal: to conserve our natural world and spread the word.
About our iOS apps
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The Bat App
The Bat App is a field guide to bats that is full of cool facts (not myths) about bats. The app covers all 47 bat species in North America and the three vampire bats found in Mexico and Central and South America. Users can browse hundreds of images (many are courtesy of famed bat ecologist, Dr. Merlin Tuttle) and learn all about these awesome little mammals. There is in-depth information about each species, bats by state or province, a section covering threats bats face in this human-dominated world, the many organizations working toward bat conservation and how everyday people can help bats. There is an FAQ with over 80 questions, as well as tips on how to spot bats. The three vampire bat species are covered in great detail, so you can stop worrying about these little bats! Our SOS App Series Monarch SOS is an awesome butterfly, caterpillar and milkweed identification tool that also allows citizen scientists in the southwest to tag monarchs, report tags, and report adult monarchs for Southwest Monarch Study or participate in the popular Xerces Society Thanksgiving count and well as the Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper (WMMM) in the west. Lakes SOS is field guide to aquatic invasive species found in rivers, lakes and streams in the United States and Canada. The app offers users in every state (or province) the opportunity to report invasive species to all agencies or organizations collecting aquatic invasive species sightings. Horseshoe SOS is a guide to learn everything about horseshoe crabs including: anatomy, conservation efforts and the controversy surrounding use of their copper rich (blue) blood. There is also a comprehensive FAQ to answer all of your horseshoe crab questions. The app also allows you to easily report tagged horseshoe crabs (or separated tags) to the US Fish and Wildlife Service simply by opening the app and choosing the Report Tag button on the navigation screen. Coastal SOS highlights state, federal and international organizations' conservation efforts, as well as universities and nonprofits, who actively participate in coastal conservation, education and citizen science. The app helps users identify several invasive species that threaten our coastlines such as green crabs and lionfish. Users in Florida can report endangered sawfish to the Department of Natural History at the Florida Museum, while trained turtle walkers in the Florida Keys can report and monitor sea turtle nests. Organizations collecting data using Coastal SOS will be listed under the report section. Our Plant Education Apps Rash Plants will keep you safe from poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac by offering over 600 images of all three poisonous plants in the toxicodendron genus, as well as advice for identifying and avoiding them. Many confusing look-alikes are included to help you separate the harmless from the vicious and a quiz is included to test your skills once you feel up to the challenge! You will also learn how to treat the rash caused by urushiol oil with over-the-counter remedies, remedies found in your kitchen cupboard as well as those found in nature. Knotweed! familiarizes you (like it or not) with one of the world's 100 worst invasive plant species, Japanese knotweed. The other three knotweed species (including the hybrid) are also covered in depth. The Knotweed! app provides photos and annotated identification slides throughout the seasons to educate users about this seemingly unstoppable plant. Included is a section on impacts of knotweed on your home and in the environment (be sure to check out the image of it growing through the foundation of a home). The management section will give you guidance about controlling it should you have the misfortune of finding it on your property as well as Dos and Don'ts when dealing with these plants. With limited funding and scant personnel, researchers are looking more and more to the public for assistance collecting critical scientific data to further their research. In many cases this data will provide important information to land managers, local, state, and federal organizations as well as conservation organizations (like the Monarch Joint Venture) to make better informed conservation and management decisions. Naturedigger provides an important link between valuable citizen scientists and the organizations in need of their expertise and commitment, while also educating the public about the numerous issues we are facing in the natural world. |
What people are saying about our apps:
Monarch SOS: • Love this app! I'm so thrilled that I can now do my data sheets for Southwest Monarch Study and upload photos and weather data all in one place!! • Excellent app! Congrats, and thanks for helping the Monarchs via technology! • What a great all around app for monarchs!! Rash Plants: • "I'm an avid hiker, backpacker, gardener, and general outdoorsy person. I react to poison ivy and this app helps me identify the plants I need to stay away from and how to treat myself if I do get it! Great app!" • "Very Helpful! The pictures of the plants in all stages of growth and at all seasons are quite detailed and well annotated. Useful to take into the field. The section on remedies is also helpful." • This is "Must Have" App. This is a must have app for anyone who spends a lot of time either out in the woods, out on a trail, or just in the backyard clearing brush. My boys and I are scouts. This will no doubt be a helpful app for all of us." • "Worth your time. Easy to navigate app with a lot of useful information on identification, rashes and treatment" • "Wow! A must have! Sharing with all my friends. Great app for identifying toxicodendron plants! Maybe add noxious hogweed and it’s friends?" • "It's about time, what an awesome app!" Coastal SOS: • "Love this app! Living in the Florida Keys and becoming a "citizen scientist" has really increased my love for and understanding of sea life ten fold. I find myself looking at this app everyday to see what's new and how I can help to preserve this beautiful ocean and reef. Thank you for bringing this information!" Knotweed!: • "Very informative. Lots of ideas, warnings and anyone with knot weed needs this App" Horseshoe SOS: • "Excellent info on this ancient species. This app is top notch. It contains excellent information on horseshoe crabs, great pictures, some research and a list of organizations that are trying to help horseshoe crabs. The FAQ answers all of the most common questions people have about these wonderful creatures. • "Great app!" |
About our founder
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Naturedigger's founder, Tara Johnson, is a veteran environmental scientist and avid birder, who, throughout her 25-year career has been employed in both private and public sectors. Naturedigger is a reflection of her interests which include threatened and endangered species, invasive species monitoring and control, citizen science participation and nature education.
Her career began in the early 90s in Melbourne, Florida where she worked with threatened species, including gopher tortoise relocations and Florida scrub jay surveys. Throughout her career, she has conducted wetland delineations, monitoring and replications, and has been involved in every aspect of construction compliance from permitting to the development of on-site guidance documents. She is an invasive species consultant, educator, researcher, grant writer and program planner. Tara travels throughout the country collecting data and photos for Naturedigger apps, spending much of her time in California, New England and Florida. She not only promotes the important work of citizen science but is active in numerous citizen science projects herself. She has been a volunteer invasive weed watcher since 2001 and became a certified invasive weed diver in 2014. Tara has been educating the public about upland and aquatic invasive species and threatened and endangered species since 2012 through her numerous iOS apps, community outreach events and the Naturedigger website. |
