On Christmas Day in 1900, Frank Chapman of the Audubon Society had a revolutionary idea: Instead of hunting birds for the traditional yuletide hunt, he gathered his friends for a bird count. He had no idea at the time, but "citizen science" was born.
The Great Backyard Bird Count. The Cooperative Weather Observer Program. The Wildlife Phenology Program. Frogwatch USA. Project Roadkill.
These are just some of the many "citizen science" initiatives that give regular people (i.e., non-scientists) a chance to get involved in important scientific research.
According to an article in the Daily Green, citizen science "asks countless individuals to contribute their observations of a particular thing -- birds, frogs, flowers -- to a central database, which trained scientists analyze."
"It infinitely extends the observational powers of trained scientists, allowing them to ask -- and answer -- questions about long-term and widespread changes in the environment that otherwise would be impossible to contemplate."
It's like being in school -- but without the tests.
GET INVOLVED
- The Great Backyard Bird Count
- The Cooperative Weather Observer Program
- The Wildlife Phenology Program
- Frogwatch USA
- Project Roadkill
- Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
- Mountain Watch
- Project Budburst
- The Great Sunflower Project
- Milkweed and Nectar Plant Phenology Project
- NestWatch
- Mushroom Observer
- Firefly Watch
- Great Lakes Worm Watch
- Earthdive
- MonarchWatch
- World Water Monitoring Day
- Journey North
- Spider WebWatch
- Project PigeonWatch
- Did You Feel It?
- Christmas Bird Count
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