#BlackInNature: How Young Scientists are Pushing for Equality

Deja Perkins loved animals growing up. And by the time she left her native Chicago to attend Tuskegee University in Alabama, she wanted to become a veterinarian, often the only animal-related career introduced to people of color, she says. But it didn’t take long before Perkins realized she’d rather study animals in the natural world. … Read more “#BlackInNature: How Young Scientists are Pushing for Equality”

Categories: Birds, Citizen Science, Nature & Outdoors, Other

Kids at Home? Earth School Wants to Send Them on a Nature ‘Quest’

Today, over 1.5 billion children are unable to go to school. Beyond public health and the economy, coronavirus is disrupting how we engage and educate younger generations ⁠— and a group of global environmental education experts have started a program to help. TED Education, The United Nations Environmental Programme and many other partners launched Earth … Read more “Kids at Home? Earth School Wants to Send Them on a Nature ‘Quest’”

Categories: Citizen Science, Nature & Outdoors, Other

To Fight Plastic Pollution, These Researchers Want Your Pictures of Beach Trash

Plastic pollution in our oceans is a major, on-going global crisis. Researchers estimate that 8 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year. Much of the plastic is dumped carelessly, on land or in rivers, and then carried or blown into the sea. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are already known … Read more “To Fight Plastic Pollution, These Researchers Want Your Pictures of Beach Trash”

Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, Nature & Outdoors, Other

How Counting Caterpillars Can Help Scientists Understand Climate Change

Kids and adults both coo at the sight of a crawling caterpillar. We imagine that this hungry caterpillar may flutter past someday as a beautiful butterfly. Caterpillars and other insects with segmented bodies are called arthropods. And scientists need your help with a citizen science project aimed at understanding how these insects’ populations are changing. … Read more “How Counting Caterpillars Can Help Scientists Understand Climate Change”

Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Insects, Nature & Outdoors

Book Review: Seeking the Sasquatch

Gordon, David George. The Sasquatch Seeker’s Field Manual: Using Citizen Science to Uncover North America’s Most Elusive Creature. Mountaineers Books, 2015. 176 pages. Paperback US$12.26. It’s late, and you’re seeking shelter for the night after a long hike. Something’s lurking among the shadows; pungent wafts of musk barrage your nostrils. In the soft mud, you … Read more “Book Review: Seeking the Sasquatch”

Categories: Book Review, Nature & Outdoors

Explore biodiversity with iNaturalist and the Appalachian Mountain Club

Do you want to know more about the world around you? iNaturalist allows anyone, anywhere to contribute to a global record of biodiversity by uploading pictures of plants and animals with their smartphone or computer. In a new podcast episode (listen below!), co-host Justin Schell talks with Dr. Carrie Seltzer, the Stakeholder Engagement Strategist for … Read more “Explore biodiversity with iNaturalist and the Appalachian Mountain Club”

Categories: Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Project Profile

Wicked Hot Boston: Urban Heat Island (UHI) Mapping

Want to map extreme heat in your community? Anyone, anywhere can take action with ISeeChange. It’s not just in your head; Boston really is hotter in the summer. When urban areas are warmer than surrounding non-urban environments, we experience a phenomenon called the urban heat island (UHI) effect.  Cities are filled with large amounts of … Read more “Wicked Hot Boston: Urban Heat Island (UHI) Mapping”

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Events, Nature & Outdoors, Project Profile, Science Policy, Science Practices

dust storms

Are you dealing with dust storms? Webinar today with GLOBE Observer

Today, August 6, GLOBE Observer invites you to join them at 11MT/1ET for a webinar. Do you live in an area that experiences dust storms? The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Program (GLOBE) team would like you to photograph dust events in your area and submit your photos using the GLOBE Observer … Read more “Are you dealing with dust storms? Webinar today with GLOBE Observer”

Categories: Citizen Science, Environment, Nature & Outdoors

Help scientists track extreme weather this week!

Tropical storms loom large over different parts of the globe, while extreme heat and droughts wreak havoc on other areas. Flash floods and landslides plague parts of India, as dust storms make it difficult to drive and breathe in the southwestern United States. Extreme weather. We may feel powerless, but there are ways we can … Read more “Help scientists track extreme weather this week!”

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Nature & Outdoors, Newsletter