History of NatureMapping

The first NatureMapping program began in Washington State in 1993 when the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), in partnership with the Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Gap Analysis Project at the University of Washington, initiated a pilot project asking teachers to collect "real" data for a statewide biological database. Their vision was to create a national network that links natural resource agencies, academia and land planners with local communities primarily through schools. Their goal was to keep common animals common and to maintain the quality of life of those organisms. Their approach was to train individuals to become aware of their natural resources by providing the tools to inventory and monitor those resources. The pilot program grew from 23 teachers to more than 200 in two years! The Oregon Biodiversity Project used this model to begin a similar program in 1995.

Wisconsin began its NatureMapping program in November 2003 after Augusta High School teacher Paul Tweed presented the concept to Beaver Creek Reserve (BCR) Director Rick Koziel. They planned to launch the program in west-central Wisconsin only, until staff from the DNR Bureau of Endangered Resources caught wind of the idea and encouraged them to make NatureMapping a statewide program. And that is how Wisconsin NatureMapping came to call Beaver Creek Reserve Citizen Science Center its home.

Less than two years after launching the program, Wisconsin NatureMapping coordinators from Beaver Creek Reserve's Citizen Science program trained nearly 500 NatureMappers!