The App Outdoorsmen Should Carry With Them on Their Next Trip

Paul Bohn, Esq.

My love of being outdoors probably led me down the path to become interested in environmental law. But when I get outdoors for pleasure rather than work, I usually want to ditch the cell phone and most other technology.

But, a new animal app created by University of Michigan students and researchers may just change that habit. A new Animal Diversity Web (ADW) Web Pocket Guide app converted ADW’s expansive online database of the Great Lakes region’s animal species into an easy and fun to use smart phone app.

ADW is an online database run largely by U of M students. It includes a natural history of the Great Lakes region’s animals, and now you can access its content in a very digestible way on your smart phone.

The team of students and researchers worked with staff at each location on the app to develop unique content.

The locations include the University of Michigan’s Museum of Natural History, the U of M Biological Station, the Great Lakes Zoological Society, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and the Toledo Zoo.

The app reports the kind of species you might see in the region and the species’ locations. It also includes contact information for the locations and a “trail” that ADW created in with the staff at each location. Users can go to the locations and follow markers used to gain more information from the app.

You can download the app for free from the Apple app store by searching “ADW Pocket Guide.” However, users who pay $3.99 can access the app’s full features and gain more information for certain locations.

So for the outdoorsmen and women looking to ditch the printed guide for their next excursion, this app looks great for those traveling to the Great Lakes region. And the good news is that you don’t have to really be tech-savvy to use it.

You can read more about this and another user’s positive review of the app in Great Lakes Echo: http://greatlakesecho.org/2014/12/10/winged-wednesday-review-animal-app-great-guide-to-great-lakes-species/

Paul Bohn is one of the top-tier environmental and real estate attorneys in Michigan. If you need assistance on such a matter, you can give Paul a call at (248) 380-0000 ext. 9988.