Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
By Jill Nugent, Aug 02, 2021
Summer is still here in the Northern Hemisphere and many people are maximizing time spent outdoors as they enjoy the season’s sunshine and temperate weather. In this piece, we share citizen science summer opportunities tailored for our friends to the north, the Great North: Canada! Canada is home to numerous citizen science organizations and opportunities … Read more “A Canadian Summer of Science”
Categories: Animals, Bats, Birds, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Environment, Nature & Outdoors
By Bob Hirshon, Jul 25, 2020
This post was originally published as a SciStarter newsletter. Sign up to receive bi-weekly citizen science in your inbox! As we approach the Dog Days of Summer, Sirius, the dog star, makes its appearance in the northern hemisphere, bringing scorching heat, fever, mad dogs and bad luck. So it’s only sensible to take our CitSci activities … Read more “Dive Into Summer Citizen Science”
Categories: Citizen Science, Environment, Newsletter, Ocean & Water
By Catherine Price, Jun 27, 2017
What are plants trying to tell us? Take a moment to look at and listen to the plants around you. Are they blooming earlier than usual? Are they playing host to pollinators? Do you know their names? Summer is finally here and the plants in our yards, parks, and schools are probably in full bloom. … Read more “Could you be a plant whisperer?”
Categories: Citizen Science, Nature & Outdoors, Newsletter
By Nick Fordes, Jul 30, 2013
Think you’re safe in your pools this summer? You better double check! This invasive species has been taking over the mid-Atlantic region of the east coast. Contributor Nick Fordes gives us the scoop. I am always pleasantly surprised by the creativity of new citizen science projects. Not only are projects using the power of crowdsourcing … Read more “Swimming With Invasives!”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Insects
By Lisa Gardiner, Jul 06, 2011
Ever seen little points of light buzzing around outside on summer nights? Those lights - fireflies – are beetles that create light through a chemical reaction. By controlling the reaction, fireflies can turn on and off their lights. They flash light to communicate and find a mate.
Fireflies may be disappearing from some areas where they have been found in the past, so researchers are looking to citizen scientists for help understanding more about what is affecting fireflies.
Changes in the way we use land might be taking a toll on fireflies. For example, as natural landscapes are turned into lawns, fertilizers, pesticides and mowers may jeopardize fireflies, which spend daytime hours on the ground. Fireflies might also be affected by outdoor lights such as streetlights and the amount of water in the environment.
The Firefly Watch project gets the public involved collecting data about where fireflies are found. If you live east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and have ten minutes a week to look for fireflies in the evening, consider signing up as a volunteer. … Read more
Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Insects, Nature & Outdoors
