The Renfrew County Biotabase (RCB)
Biodiversity is more than just a buzz word. We are taking it to the field. We now want to know what species we have in Renfrew County and how the species are distributed. This database, the Renfrew County Biotabase, is meant to give us a means for obtaining this information on a county level.
This is a public participation project (citizen scientist) and it is hoped that you will share your field information on an ongoing basis and/or enter historical data that has been kicking around in scribbles in your field guides or stored in excellent databases on your computer.
Renfrew is one of Ontario’s largest counties. While we can name most of the birds that nest and pass through Renfrew County, other groups of animals and plants are not well known and if they have been recorded in the county, their distribution is poorly known.
Participation is easy. Registration is straightforward. Then access the database for viewing and for loading your information. You can report multiple species from one location, or record species as individual sightings at many locations. For use in the field, download a single location checklist and/or a multiple location checklist. A participant’s manual is being developed. Use the updates link on this page to keep you up to date on changes.
The RCB is in the early stages of development, but bird data entry is now available. More groups of animals will be added and a plant database. I would like to thank Denis Lepage of Bird Studies Canada for his willingness to venture into unknown territory. Certainly, a database of all life is an ambitious undertaking.
We are developing an information resource website: http://www.renfrewcountybiotabase.on.ca. This will present many resources for species identification and in the near future a blog will be available to allow for discussion.
Coordinator information:
Chris Michener
The Pembroke Area Field Naturalists
c/o 1311 Burchat Road
Golden Lake, ON K0J 1X0
Ph. 613-625-2263
email: cmichener@hughes.net
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