Course Description: Interacting with nature is a growing passion for many people but it’s difficult to know where to start. There now exists a wide selection of apps for smartphones that can help anyone become familiar with the natural world around them. This course will cover some of the most common ones including the Merlin app for identifying birds by their song and iNaturalist which allows a user to submit a photo for identification from the natural world around you from beetle to tree. There are several other specialized apps that the course will cover such as plant identification, depending on interest and time. The first session will be indoors and the second will be a fieldtrip.

Instructor: Elise Pearlstine received her PhD in wildlife biology and spent 15 years doing research with the University of Florida on wildlife habitat use in agricultural and conservation lands. Following that, she had a business for 10 years making natural soap and perfume and conducting workshops on perfume creation in the Miami area. Based on that experience, she authored the book Scent: A Natural History of Fragrance. She is currently retired and volunteers her time with local nonprofits in areas of conservation, including sea turtle, shorebird, and native plant conservation and outreach. She is also working on her Florida Master Naturalist certification with completion of the Land Stewardship module and the Uplands core course.

Schedule: 2 sessions: Mondays, October 12 and 19; 1:00-3:00pm.

Location: Room 203, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 801 Atlantic Ave., Fernandina Beach

Cost: $25

Materials: Students must have a smartphone with camera and the ability to download apps covered in the course.