02-07-2008, 12:10 AM
LITTLE ROCK - ÂParks, nature centers, wildlife management areas and wildlife refuges can now enhance their visitors' experience with the installation of eBird Trail Tracker software from the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology.
The program includes maps and checklists of birds customized for each site. Visitors check Trail Tracker to find out which birds have been seen recently and where they may find them. After going out on the trails, visitors can record their own sightings, creating a continuous, updated record of bird observations for the site. Users can also view photographs, listen to sounds and read life history information about all the birds on the site's checklist, using simple touch-screen technology. Trail Tracker may be used at a regular computer work station or self-contained kiosk.
With this system, visitors to AGFC areas can become an interactive part of the conservation story, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Assistant Chief of Education for Nature and Education Centers Kris Rutherford said. "The system appears to be a great tool to help someone plan where and when they want to visit in order to find species they are looking to add to their life lists," Rutherford explained.
All eBird Trail Tracker reports are pooled in eBird, a database containing millions of bird observations maintained by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. Anyone can explore this data at www.ebird.org, using charts and graphs that highlight patterns in bird distribution over time.
For an online demonstration of eBird Trail Tracker, visit www.birds.cornell.edu/is/ett. For more information contact Barry Bermudez at bab78@cornell.edu or 607-254-1143.
The program includes maps and checklists of birds customized for each site. Visitors check Trail Tracker to find out which birds have been seen recently and where they may find them. After going out on the trails, visitors can record their own sightings, creating a continuous, updated record of bird observations for the site. Users can also view photographs, listen to sounds and read life history information about all the birds on the site's checklist, using simple touch-screen technology. Trail Tracker may be used at a regular computer work station or self-contained kiosk.
With this system, visitors to AGFC areas can become an interactive part of the conservation story, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Assistant Chief of Education for Nature and Education Centers Kris Rutherford said. "The system appears to be a great tool to help someone plan where and when they want to visit in order to find species they are looking to add to their life lists," Rutherford explained.
All eBird Trail Tracker reports are pooled in eBird, a database containing millions of bird observations maintained by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. Anyone can explore this data at www.ebird.org, using charts and graphs that highlight patterns in bird distribution over time.
For an online demonstration of eBird Trail Tracker, visit www.birds.cornell.edu/is/ett. For more information contact Barry Bermudez at bab78@cornell.edu or 607-254-1143.