Iowa NatureMapping Program requires you to collect and report specific types of information. These include the name of the species and how you identified it, the number seen, the habitat the species was found in, UTM coordinates , and date it was seen. We also require additional information, which is explained in the Data Collection Form Directions . Below, you will find the recommendations for collecting Habitat and Species data.
Wildlife use different habitats during the day or seasonally.
The size of the habitat is also an important variable. Habitats can be as small as a little puddle or as large as a city. It often helps to look at the bigger picture in order to determine habitats. A forest bird may not use a plot of 10 trees, even if the trees are the same size and type the bird would use in the forest. The plot of 10 trees would become a component of the dominant habitat, which could be an urban backyard.