12 Days of Christmas with Citizen Science (seriously!)

The holiday season is upon us! In the spirit of the season, we’ve put together another edition of our annual 12 Days of Christmas Newsletter. ANNNNNNNND…as our gift to you, we’ve made it possible for you to track your citizen science contributions and interests in one place! Check out the beta version of SciStarter 2.0. … Read more “12 Days of Christmas with Citizen Science (seriously!)”

Categories: Animals, Astronomy & Space, Birds, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Newsletter

Saving the Majestic Redwoods With Citizen Science

Citizen scientists collect data to find out how climate change impacts redwoods by Kristin Butler “The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always. No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe. … Read more “Saving the Majestic Redwoods With Citizen Science”

Categories: Biology, Ecology & Environment, Project Profile

Tiny Woolly Terrors: The Attack of the Adelgid

If you’re looking for more projects for the holiday season, we’ve got 12 Days of Citizen Science for you! Don’t forget to check out the public radio segment about Tiny Terrors on WHYY’s The Pulse! The Grinch is back and this time in the form of a tiny insect invader. Meanwhile, scientists are looking for … Read more “Tiny Woolly Terrors: The Attack of the Adelgid”

Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment

Fraxinus to Fight Fungus

Human beings are remarkably capable animals when it comes to pattern recognition. The human ability to quickly and accurately recognize recurrent patterns is a skill that numerous citizen science projects have put to work on large, difficult data sets. Galaxy Zoo uses these skills to assist with the morphological classification of galaxies. Pattern recognition and … Read more “Fraxinus to Fight Fungus”

Categories: Apps, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Gaming, Nature & Outdoors

Why do some tree leaves turn red?

SciStarter has a whole round-up of tree-related projects for you this season. Branch out into citizen science! Walking around my neighborhood the other day, I was casually observing the local flora when I was struck by the redness of one particular set of leaves. While the tree pictured is not the exact one I spied … Read more “Why do some tree leaves turn red?”

Categories: Education, Guest Contributor, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards

Citizen Science Opportunities with The American Chestnut Foundation

Sara Fitzsimmons is the Regional Science Coordinator at The American Chestnut Foundation The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to restoring the American chestnut (Castanea dentate) to its original range. Once estimated to be 25% of the Appalachian forests, the species was all but eliminated from the landscape by an imported fungal … Read more “Citizen Science Opportunities with The American Chestnut Foundation”

Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Education, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards

In the Philadelphia area? Contribute to PhillyTreeMap!

Participating in PhillyTreeMap, one of the newest projects in the Science for Citizens Project Finder, is almost as simple as fetching the morning paper from the front “stoop,” as we say here in Philly. This morning, I opened my front door, walked 10 feet to the nearest tree (pictured here), wrapped a measuring tape around its … Read more “In the Philadelphia area? Contribute to PhillyTreeMap!”

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

How to Winterize Your Trees

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to plant three trees during a Casey Trees community tree planting event in Washington, D.C.  On that freezing cold December morning, I got to thinking: how do trees survive the winter months? Is there anything can we do to make it easier for them? Well, it turns out that caring for trees is … Read more “How to Winterize Your Trees”

Categories: Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors