The North American Moths Backyard Inventory (NAMBI) was developed with the goal of creating a database of the moths of North America through citizen science contributions.
Currently, little is known about the range and abundance of moths across North America. Because of their nocturnal habits, and their stereotype as being drab little insects, they tend to be overlooked in favour of flashier organisms such as butterflies and dragonflies. Aside from commercial pests and a few brightly-coloured species that receive a lot of attention, we lack detailed information about the range of most moth species. Citizen scientists have the opportunity to make huge contributions to the field with observations made right in their own backyard.
Citizen science projects have been successfully implemented to track a wide range of species, but primarily birds. Recently, bloggers have jumped into the mix, creating their own biological survey projects, such as the Blogger Bio Blitz and International Rock-Flipping Day. Programs like these have the potential to add tremendously to our knowledge of the ecosystems around us.
There is little left to learn about the range or abundance of North American birds. Butterflies, mammals, herpetiles, fish have been fairly well-documented. But participants in NAMBI not only contribute to a valuable project, they also have the potential to make exciting discoveries right on their own home turf. New county records, second, third or fourth state records, these are entirely within the realm of possibility for NAMBI participants. So little is known about many of our species.
Data collected through this project will be put to use in scientific research or other initiatives, such as the forthcoming Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America by David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie (out spring 2012). Studies have shown that insect abundance has been on the decline across North America, and so it’s important that we learn more about moths and other insects.
