You may have noticed students peering under rocks and searching in the trees to take pictures of birds, bugs, plants, and other organisms around Pinewood’s Upper Campus. Every year, the 11th grade class participates in the iNaturalist competition as part of their biology curriculum. The goal of the competition is to track as many wild species as possible, such as animals and native plants. Biology teacher Monica Ventrice started the competition in 2021 as a safe way for students to spend time in nature during the COVID pandemic.
“I wanted students to get outside, observe the nature around them, and also learn biology,” Ventrice said. “I hope that they become more observant of the organisms around them. I think that’s a really important skill.”
Students track species by taking pictures and uploading them to the iNaturalist app, which uses artificial intelligence to identify them. The images then get reviewed by experts, and the crowdsourced data is stored on a global map that is accessible to users worldwide.
Junior Alan Skelley has been enjoying the competition so far and appreciates the opportunity to learn about new species.
“ iNaturalist is great because you get to learn so much about the environment,” Skelley said. “You see these animals every day, like ants, but you don’t actually know the scientific name for them.”
On average, Ventrice reports that each student logs around 75 observations and 40 species during the four months that they participate. The student with the most entries of all time was alumni Makena Matula from the class of 2024, who logged 560 observations and 296 species in 2023.
As an added incentive, Ventrice is offering a prize of boba gift cards to the class with the highest average number of species logged per student.
For students looking to boost their entries, Ventrice has recommendations for the best local places to look for species.
“ The Palo Alto Baylands and the Pescadero Marsh are great for bird watching,” Ventrice said. “ I also love going tide pooling on the San Mateo and Monterey coasts.”
She also shared strategies to keep in mind when searching for species.
“For techniques [you should] go to new places and really work on your observational skills… look under logs, under rocks, through the grass, through the bushes, and in the leaves,” Ventrice said.
Reflecting on his participation in iNaturalist last year, senior Jonathan Detkin still remembers the positive impact of the competition.
“ I thought it was pretty fun last year,” Detkin said. “It kind of gave me a reason to go out and explore a little bit, and go out of my way to appreciate nature a little bit more.”
