Photo request from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
Jimi
Posts: 1955
Joined: December 3rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

Photo request from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Post by Jimi »

Hi guys,

I just got a request to ask you guys for some help. Our Natural Heritage Program people (those who like your data) are working with our website people to completely revamp the way UDWR expresses "nongame". Basically, in the past non-hook & bullet stuff was all buried waaaaay deep on the agency website, and the text was written "by biologists, to biologists". The desire now is to bring "nongame" into higher profile (not "higher-than" anything else, just more "out of the shadows"). This is an acknowledgement that in the big picture, a) Utah society is changing rapidly - urbanizing, hunting & fishing less, becoming more culturally & racially diverse, but all in all is still curious about the outdoors & the wildlife they do or could encounter there, and b) none of this changes the fact that we still have to manage their wildlife for them. Anyway, the means to attain this desire include toning down the jargon, attempting to actually communicate with non-experts, and having more pictures and less text.

So we're soliciting photos of Utah herps and associated habitats. If the species is native to Utah but the individual depicted is from across the line, that's fine if it still depicts what people are likely to observe in Utah. E.g., except for die-hard lampro-dorks a Barstow or Vegas Cal king is indistinguishable from a St George Cal king.

Anyone sharing photos that get used on the DWR website will get photo credit.

Right now we're just trying to assess willingness to share. We haven't yet gone to the trouble of setting up a system for file transfer. I guess to some extent how we go about that is up to you - what's your preference? If you wanted to just attach shots to e-mails I suppose that'd work. If you'd rather point us to shots you've already got up online that should work too I guess. Other ideas? Make suggestions if you have them.

If interested your DWR point of contact is Ben Sutter [email protected]. Besides being a database dude he's also an artist (wildlife painter) so if you've got a ton of shots in the can maybe you can work with him to identify more precisely what they're looking for, and save both him and yourself some labor (?).

Thanks guys,
Jimi
User avatar
AndyO'Connor
Posts: 1019
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:14 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Photo request from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Post by AndyO'Connor »

so are we going to have responses here reported back to them, or is a direct email needed? I haven't herped in Utah, but have tons of species shots from Nevada that would apply.
simpleyork
Posts: 513
Joined: March 6th, 2012, 12:45 pm
Location: utah

Re: Photo request from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Post by simpleyork »

let me know what you need and I'll let you have what I got- Do they want multiple photos? kinda like that California Herp sight? Video clips as well? Any I'll be around this week end if you need me to look through my albums.
Jimi
Posts: 1955
Joined: December 3rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

Re: Photo request from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Post by Jimi »

Thanks Chris. I don't know what the vision is for the final product (we should be so lucky as to pull off something as nice as Gary Nafis has) - whether each species account will feature a collage (so as to e.g. more-fully depict the observable range of variability in a species) or just one photo. I think I smell a constructive suggestion.

I do believe they want to have multiple photos to choose from, whether they end up using just one, or several. Send in your best Utas! Ha ha. So, I hesitate to make any suggestions, unless you're seriously buried in pics. Then I'd say just send in the ones you like, and plenty, if you can.

Excellent pick-up on the video. I fumbled that part of their request. Doh!

Yes, video is also of interest.

Especially if it depicts something "interesting" like push-ups, social interactions, foraging, whatever. If you took the video because "my kids have gotta see this!!!" then it's probably interesting.

Thanks again,
Jimi
User avatar
Rancorrye
Posts: 400
Joined: June 18th, 2012, 8:05 pm
Location: Utah
Contact:

Re: Photo request from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Post by Rancorrye »

What kind of photos are they looking for? Field guide type photos for identification??

Also do they want pictures down to subspecies or just species?

Rye
Jimi
Posts: 1955
Joined: December 3rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

Re: Photo request from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Post by Jimi »

Hmm more good questions. Thanks, I do appreciate them. I'll make up some answers, but really, I'd pose them to Ben. I'm out of town all next week, so...go for it.

Second question first. I don't know if they're going bi- or tri-nomial. As noted previously the target audience is - as I understand it - mainly the "somewhat interested but as-yet fairly clueless". We may not want to confuse them with subspecies. (The very concept is presently getting the hairy eyeball in scientific circles, besides.) I suppose if you have your photo subjects ID'd down to subspecies you can submit them as such and let the DWR website developers decide if they want to truncate back to species level.

OK first question. Kinds of photos? Hmm. Well, the way my mind works, I form an association back to the earlier question about "are they going to use 1 or >1 photo per taxon"? If it was my project I'd put up some ideal-angles diagnostic photos (perhaps even in-hand for some taxa showing e.g., the side-blotch in Uta, the patch-nose in Salvadora, etc), and then some typical as-found or in-situ shots - basking, dashing away, skulking under shrubberies or in cracks, coiled up and hissing, etc. But...it's not my project, and I don't really know what they want. I could guess and say "field-guide style." But as I said, I'm really just the messenger here, and I wanted to get the message out before I skedaddle out of state for the upcoming week.

This link may give some reassurances about what your data is used for, and some useful contextual info about a little slice of what UDWR does, and also (my prime motive) Ben Sutter's phone number!
http://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/ucdc/ContactUDWR/contact.htm

Thanks for your interest and apparent willingness to consider this request, everyone. I know herpers and DWR haven't always had the most comfortable or collegial relationship. We're working on that, and I really appreciate the reciprocity.

Cheers,
Jimi
Jimi
Posts: 1955
Joined: December 3rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

Re: Photo request from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Post by Jimi »

Just wanted to say "thanks" to those of you who contacted Ben - I followed up with him today.

Cheers,
Jimi
Post Reply