Greater Burlington community members assisting ecologist experts’ research through smartphone app [Video]

As part of the greater Burlington area’s City Nature Celebration, city leaders have been asking for the community’s help to assist ecologist experts.Since Friday, thousands have helped document bio-diversity in the area through the INaturalist app as part of the four-day City Nature Challenge. Folks have been capturing photos and uploading them to the app.On the app, it helps identify the plant species. Cindi Wight, director of Burlington’s Parks, Rec, and Waterfront, believes this initiative has been a fun way for people to get outside more, while also educating themselves on their curiosities.”It gets folks out and into our parks and checking out new spaces,” Wight said. “Even more importantly, it means pausing and going slower through our parks.”Ecologist experts like Walter Poleman, who works at UVM, said this work is more important now than ever.”We’re focused on urban ecology with this project because we know biodiversity is declining due …