The Collector Gene: an introduction to a bold endeavor

A few years ago my friend Bill Hubick told me he had the collector gene. It was the first time I had heard of this phenomenon. Bill went on to say that people who had this gene not only collected but enjoyed making lists. I immediately thought of my elementary years when I would keep count lists of all the different cars I observed whenever my family went on a trip. Then came books and records, sea shells, postwar German ceramics, rock and roll posters, and tons of bird data. Yup, I decided I had the collector gene.
Staring on January 1, 2014 I will attempt to identify 10,000 organisms in the United States and Canada. With geographical restraints as my only boundaries, all living things will be open for investigation. The endeavor that I am undertaking will be one of my boldest moves as I try to exploit the collector gene. The spreadsheets will be long, field guides will get bumped and bruised, experts will be queried, many bad photos will be taken, and my writing skills tested. I hope you will follow along as I update this blog with all of the exciting discoveries I will be making as I travel in search of...