Be a Citizen Scientist

Posted by Jeff on Jun 7, 2016 @ 11:32 am in Conservation | 0 comments | Last modified: June 7, 2016

Even if being a scientist isn’t your day job, there are lots of ways to contribute to scientific research about the natural world. From counting monarch butterflies to studying plant growth and tweeting earthquake locations, citizen science empowers the public to help scientists conduct and inform research. And it’s making a huge difference.

Monarchs are an iconic backyard species, and they need our help. Populations of these gorgeous orange and black butterflies have been declining for several reasons like climate change, pesticides and habitat loss. By tracking their movements, scientists can better understand and address the issues affecting them.

It’s estimated that 80-90 percent of species in parks are undiscovered, and the more information park managers have, the better they can protect parks. National parks nationwide are hosting a “bioblitz,” where citizen scientists spend a few hours or days documenting park biodiversity – from bugs to botany to birds.

When studying how environments change seasonally – called phenology – scientists alone can’t collect enough data. Volunteers on public lands nationwide help scientists better understand ecosystem health by tracking annual changes in plant and animal species, such as what time of year a flower blooms. (I do this, and find it very rewarding.)

When earthquakes strike, the speed of social media helps report information and support earthquake response. Tweets go up in seconds, while scientific alerts can take as long as 20 minutes.

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