With iPhones in hand, visitors to national wildlife refuges in the Chesapeake Bay region can now photograph and share their sightings with a worldwide community of wildlife watchers. The National Wildlife Refuges Chesapeake Bay app is a new tool for exploring the outdoors and is available as a free download from the App Store.
App users can post photos of plants and animals they find on refuges and tap into a global network of experts for information about any of the species. As the postings accumulate, scientists and refuge managers will be able to view the data to see where and when species inhabit specific locations.
“The app provides a new interactive experience by encouraging refuge visitors to become modern explorers. By using their smartphones like digital butterfly nets to capture photos of the animals and plants they discover, they chronicle and share their experiences at the refuges,” says Charles Regan, senior vice president for National Geographic Maps.
