New sign at Quick Point encourages community data collection

Visitors to Longboat Key’s Quick Point Nature Preserve can now do more than just admire the area's plant and animal life — they can contribute to a biodiversity survey. 

A new sign was installed at the park on Aug. 20, part of a project that was spearheaded by David Glosser. The project was a collaboration of members of the Spring 2023 Florida Master Naturalist Program. 

“The class didn’t just end for me, I took the ball and freaking ran with it,” Glosser said.

Glosser said he’s always identified as a naturalist, with a background in geology and environmental science before switching to the horticulture business in his mid 30s. This April, Glosser was a part of a Master Naturalist class that included multiple field trips to nature spots in the area, like Robinson Preserve and Quick Point Nature Preserve. 

Courtesy photo

During the field trip to Quick Point, Glosser was intrigued by another Master Naturalist classmate who was using the free iNaturalist app. 

After seeing the app in action, Glosser began exploring the app and said he was amazed at the biodiversity surveys he could look at from all around the world. 

This inspired an idea. The class needed to do a project for the course, so Glosser threw out the idea of doing a biodiversity survey of Quick Point using the iNaturalist app. The idea stuck. 

The group consisted of Glosser, Ingrid Deckman, Mark Briefman, Danny Enriquez and Rob Cybulski. The Master Naturalist course instructor was Jason Robertshaw, project manager at Mote Marine Laboratory. 

This project eventually led to the broader idea of creating a permanent “location” for Quick Point on the iNaturalist app so that others who visit the park can add to the survey.

Glosser took charge of getting the town of Longboat Key’s approval for a sign in the park, while everyone in the group financially contributed to the project. After three months of working with town officials, Glosser was able to put the sign into the ground.