SitkaNature: 1000 Species Project

The goal of this project is to document 1000 species in the Sitka area over one calendar year. For purposes of this project, it is my intention to take at least one new photograph of each species over the course of the project. In some cases I may substitute a sound recording, though I expect that will be rare (primarily for owls).

1000 species in one year is probably overly ambitious, and it may be that I will be lucky to get half that much. As a practical matter, it’s my intention to continue beyond a year, in the event that it takes longer.

I do have mixed feelings about this sort of listing exercise, so I will offer a little bit of explanation about my reasoning. Ultimately, I want to know more about the place I live than can ever be encapsulated in a list of species. However, I think an important part of knowing my neighborhood is recognizing what else shares the place with me. In the end, I want to learn about how all of these organisms interact and live with each other and the physical environment they share. It is my hope that this project will at least help me discover who many of the players are.