A Century of Natural History Observations

The Natural History Observation Card File consists of 14,000 3x5 notecards containing extensive natural history observations of the flora and fauna of the Shawangunk Ridge recorded by Daniel Smiley (1907-1989) – prominent regional naturalist and Mohonk Preserve co-founder – and other research associates. The card file, together with the Preserve’s other natural history collections and weather/phenological data, are valuable for research because of their long-term consistency, providing a record of changes in the natural world over many decades. Each index card contains information similar to a museum specimen label (i.e. date, location, observer’s name, taxonomy), and other pertinent information such as weather, behavior (for animals), phenological information, and historical context. Because these data are so extensive and have been consistently collected over so many years, they create a unique data source for scientists to conduct a range of projects. For instance, our extensive phenological records help demonstrate how climate change is affecting the natural cycles of nature. Is spring coming earlier as the months get warmer? Are animals disappearing from the landscape and invasives taking over? Digitizing this collection will help us to support new research on a variety of scientific topics. Once this project is completed, the data will be available for access on the Environmental Data Initiative platform.