Wealthy polluters are pouring unprecedented millions into advertisements in an effort to influence this election. Ordinary Americans who care about conservation and wildlife may not have the deep pockets of polluters, but they are speaking out.

Just this week, NWF’s Campus Ecology Program released a report: A Student’s Guide to How Corporate Oil, Gas and Coal Money Influences U.S. Energy Policy. Which is about—you guessed it—how polluters have bought their way to the front of the line on Capitol Hill. The effort is teamed up with Energy Action Coalition’s “Power Vote,” which aims to register youth and first time voters who want a say in our energy future.

Checking the Ads

Anyone who watches Mad Men knows advertisers are plugged into our psychology. How do we know what the truth is? Political transparency has become an issue on more and more radar screens, especially after Citizens United v. FEC. But how can you find out the truth during this election cycle? You’re in luck, there’s an app for that.

It’s called the SuperPACApp, and is available for iPhone users. It’s the Shazam for political advertisements. The phone listens to the ad and within seconds reports on:

1. What group funded the ad;
2. How much it costs and
3. Information on the accuracy of the ad.

This app makes the unprecedented spending on political advertisements more transparent—allowing the viewer to gain clarity on what they are actually watching and where it is coming from.

So the next time your eyes start glazing over after yet another attack ad, break out your iPhone. But be careful, you might find yourself looking forward to the next commercial break, just not for the reasons the oil industry wants you to.

Here are some other great resources that peel back the curtain on dirty money:

• Campus Ecology Report
• Sunlight Foundation
• Dirty Energy Money
• Center for Responsive Politics

The new Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder™ app is your free virtual guidebook to every U.S. federal and state park as well as more than 50,000 local parks. It’s a quick an easy way to find parks near you with the activities you want to do.

Help Wildlife When You Download

What’s even better? For every app downloaded now through Labor Day, Ford Motor Company will make a donation to one of four non-profit organizations, one being National Wildlife Federation!

Discover parks with hidden campgrounds, the best fishing spots, scenic overlooks or bird-watching paradises. Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder makes it easy to find great places for a scenic drives, to discover historic sites, go camping and so much more.

Simply select your favorite activities or where you want to go (or both), and this unique mobile app will instantly generate a personalized list of recommendations.

New features of the app include the ability to:

• Check in to parks;
• Add comments and pictures;
• Post to Facebook and Twitter; and
• Share your experiences at any park you visit.

Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder is available for both Apple and Android devices, and all the same information is available at OhRanger.com.

Scan this QR code or visit OhRanger.com to download the app. The app is available for your iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch or Android device.

After you download the app, vote for National Wildlife Federation and Ford Motor Company will make a donation to help NWF protect wildlife.

This is a sister post to “Fantastic Wildlife and Nature iPhone Apps,” and, while you’ll notice a few repeats, I decided to extend the mentions to a few new ones! I’ve linked mostly to the iPhone applications, but most of them have an Android counterpart.

Mobile Apps to Help You Find Parks and Trails

Sometimes, in order to see wildlife and feel close to nature, you have to find it, so that’s what these applications help you do.

NatureFind
Price: Free
Find the closest parks, forests and nature centers with this application. It also will tell you local events that the places are hosting. This application is incredibly useful regardless if you’re in a city or surrounded by suburban houses. (Available only on iPhone)

Trailhead by The North Face
Price: Free
This application uses your current location to tell you the nearest hiking trails. You can find out information about each trail, including their length, story, pictures and tips. Use it when traveling to discover local trails you haven’t explored. (Available only on iPhone)

Trails – GPS Tracker
Price: $3.99
This application is helpful for anyone looking to explore new trails and track the pace, ascent and descent. It’s a useful application for tracking your tracks.

Other Hiking and Trail Apps to Check Out:

• Backpacker GPS for iPhone and Android
  Price: Lite is free, Upgrade is $9.99
• Trail Maps by Nat Geo:
  Price: $2.99

Wildlife Sightings and Citizen Science

WildObs Observer
iPhone and Android
Price: Free

When it comes to wildlife observations, there are several useful apps and WildObs is one of my favorites. It makes it very easy for you to report your sightings and identify species, and your observations show up on National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Watch website. It’s one of the only apps that allows you to report sightings without having a photo and it also tags your location if you so desire.

Sci.Spy
Price: Free
A fantastic wildlife photography and observation application. If you witness anything from people in the garden or on a trail you can snap a picture of it and share it on this helpful application. You can either partake in a mission or share your experiences for fun.

Project Noah
iPhone and Android
Price: Free
Check-in to nature with this nature observation application. With your photos you can help accomplish missions and explore other sightings. Project Noah allows you to upload flora and fauna, and once you’ve created an account you can meet other nature enthusiasts as well.

iNaturalist
Price: Free
Here’s another easy to use application that lets you log your wildlife sightings. This application does not require a photo and it gives you ample room for notes. It also automatically fills in the date and your location to help make your observation recording easier.

Wildlife Reference

Audubon Nature Applications
Apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android
Price: Each is $9.99

When it comes to reference guides, Audubon has a slew of useful applications to help you identify specific flora and fauna. They all average about the same cost and have a great number of resources. I’ve listed a few of the applications below so you can get a sense of the way they break them down (both regionally and by type).

If you’re looking for a digital field guide, these are definitely a worthy option.

• Apps for iPhone and iPod Touch
• Field Guides for the iPad
• Field Guides for the Android

MyNature Tracks
iPhone and Android
Price: $6.99

Need help identifying animal tracks or scat? This app has a number of animal tracks, scat and sound information that can come in handy when you’re exploring the great outdoors. Keep in mind, it helps to measure the length of the track when it comes time to identify! MyNature also offers several other great applications like MyNature Tree Guide and even park specific apps. Check them out if you are planning on visiting a specific area, like the Grand Canyon for regional identification help.

Bird-Specific Applications

BirdsEye
iPhone and Android
Price: Full is $19.99, Lite is $1.99
While I have not tried this one out personally, I’ve read a few reviews that make this a promising application. You can track your bird sightings as well as see local bird observations.

WildLab
This application is part of a citizen science project that I thought was too neat to pass up. It’s technically for the NYC area and has been used by schools and organizations in that area since 2009. It’s definitely worth checking out!

Various iBird Applications
iPhone and Android
Price ranging from Free to $19.99
As an owner of iBird Pro and Backyard, I’ve found them to be very comprehensive. They give you range, locations, both an illustration and actually submitted photos of the animal. The apps will also include the call of the particular bird.

It’s a very useful application and testing out one of them is a great way to start your own birding adventure.

• iBird Pro
• iBird Plus
• iBird Regional
• iBird Lite

Peterson Field Guide
Price: $14.99
This beautifully done birding application has a unique way to identify the birds you’ve seen and you can also log your sightings here as well. It’s incredibly easy to move through the application and offers some real images of the species.

Other Birding Applications to Check Out:

• National Geographic Handheld Birds: Price $9.99
• Sibley eGuide to Birds: Price $29.99

If you’re looking to compare birding application, iBird.com has a useful chart, and there’s a great review of birding applications here as well.

Apps to Help with Plant Identification

Leaf Snap
Price: Free
A joint project by Columbia University, University of Maryland and Smithsonian Institution is helping people identify plants with a photo. Leafsnap uses facial recognition software for trees–all you need is a leaf and a white background and this application should be able to help you. The app currently covers trees of the Northeast and Washington, DC.

Florafolio
Price: $3.99
This app offers an interactive field guide to native plants of North America. This edition focuses on the stunning variety of trees, shrubs, perennials, ferns, vines, and grasses that are indigenous to Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States. Florafolio is the perfect guide for anyone who wants to identify species in the wild or garden with native plants.

TreeBook
Price: Free
TreeBook has 100 of the most common trees in North America as a helpful resource guide. It’s a great way to start learning how to identify trees as a beginner and isn’t so large it takes up too much space on your phone. I’ve found it very useful!

As someone who is fascinated with the natural world, I’ll keep checking out applications. I’d love to hear what applications you use in the comment section below! Even if they are from different countries, or if I missed them, I’ll keep updating this post so that it can be a helpful resource!

Now go out, explore, take photos and mark your observations!

The change of seasons is an important influence on animal behavior. Whether it’s the hot season turning cold or the dry season turning wet, wildlife has to adapt to survive. One strategy is migration. Songbirds, waterfowl, raptors and hummingbirds travel north and south each year, some as far as the tropics. Caribou and pronghorn shift their range based on the season to ensure access to food.  Even insects such as monarch butterflies and green darner dragonflies travel great distances to survive the oncoming winter.

One of the greatest things about fall migration is that it offers some pretty awesome wildlife watching opportunities.  Get outside this fall and see what migratory species you can spot.  You can report your sightings on National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Watch website, on Twitter or even using your iPhone.

There’s no excuse to stay indoors and not experience wildlife this fall!  In the meantime, watch this video about one of the species that has already begun migration, the ruby-throated hummingbird.