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Community Science Projects

The following list of Community Science Projects is a working document created by a Nearby Nature volunteer for use by Nearby Nature staff and volunteers — and was most recently updated in March 2018. Projects and information may have changed since this was first created.

GENERAL

1. School of Ants – Catch ants and send them in for ID – uses a protocol and specific baits – http://www.schoolofants.org/

  1. Dragonflies within iNaturalist have been helpful for real science – https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/3/2/1838754/-Daily-Bucket-For-blue-dasher-dragonflies-every-picture-tells-a-story-and-stories-become-science?utm_campaign=spotlight
  2. Night sky observations re: light pollution – monthly campaigns with specific constellations to evaluate – https://www.globeatnight.org/
https://www.globeatnight.org/5-steps.php
https://www.globeatnight.org/downloads
https://www.globeatnight.org/resources/GaN2019_ActivityGuides_English_N/GaN2019_ActivityGuide_Gemini_English.pdf
  1. Girl Scout citizen science – https://scistarter.com/girlscouts/info

Girl Scouts have their own project on iNaturalist – https://scistarter.com/project/21661-Girl-Scouts-SciStarter-Project-on-iNaturalist

  1. Project Squirrel – https://scistarter.com/project/38-Project-Squirrel
  2. Dragonfly migration – 5 common species of interest – http://www.migratorydragonflypartnership.org/index/welcome
  3. Dragonfly Swarm Project – https://thedragonflywoman.com/dsp/
  4. Stream Selfie – take a selfie by a stream – Izaak Walton League – http://www.streamselfie.org/

With Stream Monitoring/Clean Water Challenge – http://www.streamselfie.org/

  1. NASA/GLOBE Cloud Observer – https://observer.globe.gov/
  2. Weather and Climate Change – NASA – submit photos and say how things are affecting you – https://www.iseechange.org/
  3. Invasive Mosquito Project – http://www.citizenscience.us/imp/
  4. Leaf Pack Network – use leaves and aquatic insects to track stream health – https://leafpacknetwork.org/
  5. Zombie Bees – Look for new fly parasite on honey bees – West Coast relevant – https://www.zombeewatch.org/
  6. SciStarter – central point for a lot of citizen science projects – special tracking of contributions and networking – https://scistarter.com/for-citizen-scientists
  7. TreeSnap – find healthy trees of species of concern – Pacific Madrone included – https://treesnap.org/

LEARNSCAPE

  1. Cabbage White Butterfly – have to catch the butterfly. Or submit obs via iNaturalist – http://www.pierisproject.org/participate.html
  2. Pumpkins and squash and their pests and pathogens – photos – with iNaturalist – http://studentsdiscover.org/lesson/the-great-pumpkin-project/
  3. Where do the cats go and what are they eating? – http://cattracker.org/participate/
  4. The Great Sunflower Project – need to plant Lemon Queen sunflowers – http://www.greatsunflower.org/
  5. Pollinator Friendly Plants Program – watch plants and report pollinators – http://www.greatsunflower.org/Pollinator_Plants
  6. Pollinator Habitat Challenge – http://www.greatsunflower.org/habitat%20challenge
  7. Oregon Bee Atlas – FULL – 2020 registration in October 2019 – https://www.oregonbeeproject.org/bee-atlas
  8. Pacific Northwest Bumble Bee Atlas – FULL for 2019 at ABP location – https://www.pnwbumblebeeatlas.org/
  9. BUMBLEBEE WATCH – upload photos – https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/
  10. Bees and EZ Water – photos of bees drinking water – https://scistarter.com/project/17710-Bees-and-EZ-Water
  11. Honeybees Pollen and Nectar project (map pollen sources in iNaturalist) – https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/beewise-honey-bee-pollen-nectar-map
  12. Nectar Connectors – (NN – pollinators: track specific plant species through the growing season) – https://www.usanpn.org/nn/NectarConnectors
  13. Common Lilac Campaign (NN: track plants through the growing season) – https://www.usanpn.org/nn/lilacs
  14. Project Budburst (NN: track phenology, track specific plant species) – http://budburst.org/
  15. Ant Picnic – watch ants eat specific foods – http://studentsdiscover.org/lesson/ant-picnic/
  16. Backyard soil science collection study – see what fungus in in your soil – https://whatsinyourbackyard.org/about/
  17. Butterflies and Moth sightings and photos – https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/
  18. Monarch Larva Monitoring Project – https://monarchlab.org/mlmp
  19. Monarch Watch – tagging – raising – https://monarchwatch.org/
  20. Monarch Milkweed Mapper – sightings – https://www.monarchmilkweedmapper.org/
  21. Journey North – report monarch or milkweed sightings – https://journeynorth.org/monarchs
  22. Painted Lady and West Coast Lady butterfly sightings – https://vanessa.ent.iastate.edu/
  23. eButterfly – checklist and/or photos – http://www.e-butterfly.org/
  24. Backyard bark beetles – set traps and send in beetles – http://www.backyardbarkbeetles.org/
  25. Lost ladybug – sample with sweep nets and take photos. submit ladybug photos – http://www.lostladybug.org/
  26. 150 hours outside (get people outdoors to make any observations) (obs within iNaturalist) – https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/-150hoursoutside
  27. Habitat mapping for yards – http://content.yardmap.org/ ==== PROJECT ENDING, only articles remain (for now)

ALTON BAKER PARK

  1. MacroFungi of Lane County – (North American MycoFlora Project – need careful photos and samples) – http://cascademyco.org/2018/09/the-macrofungi-of-lane-county-oregon/ and http://mycoflora.org/people/participants
  2. iNaturalist – https://www.inaturalist.org – Alton Baker Park Natural History Project
  3. eBird – https://ebird.org – no photos needed
  4. Celebrate Urban Birds – report sightings, not photos – priority birds good for ABP: mallards, crows, robins, swallows, starlings, Eurasian collared dove, flicker, junco, black-capped chickadee, scrub jay, etc. – also a “funk nest” category – https://celebrateurbanbirds.org/learn/birds/fs/us/#filter=.fs-or
  5. NEST WATCH – has priority birds (Robin, Black-capped Chickadee, swallows, Hose Wren, Hose Finch, Mourning Dover, etc) (watch active nests through the season)- https://nestwatch.org/
  6. Hummingbirds at Home – Audubon – watch a nectar patch, single sightings, and/or feeders – http://www.hummingbirdsathome.org/
  7. Climate Watch (Audubon bird count Jan-Feb: priorities = bluebirds and nuthatches, 1-3 people each survey, no OR coordinator or project yet) – https://www.audubon.org/conservation/climate-watch
  8. Audubon Christmas Bird Count – https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count
  9. The Great Backyard Bird Count (Audubon, every February) – https://www.audubon.org/conservation/about-great-backyard-bird-count – http://gbbc.birdcount.org/
  10. Project Feeder Watch (Nov – April, costs $18) – https://feederwatch.org/
  11. FrogWatchUSA – (February – August – listen to calls at wetland sites) – https://www.aza.org/frogwatch
  12. Herp Mapper – report reptiles and amphibians via sound files or photos – looking for projects to highlight, too – Newts??? – https://www.herpmapper.org/
  13. Nature’s Notebook (National Phenology Network) – report plant phenology obs – https://www.usanpn.org/natures_notebook
  14. Green Wave (Nature’s Notebook – Maples, Oaks, Poplars: track through the growing season) – https://www.usanpn.org/nn/Greenwave
  15. iMap Invasives – report invasive species – Nature Conservancy, Oregon, others – https://www.imapinvasives.org/
  16. CyanoBacteria Monitoring – algal blooms – https://cyanos.org/
  17. Globe Observer – clouds – take obs and photos of the sky – https://www.globe.gov/web/s-cool
  18. Mosquito Habitat Mapper – find their habitat and count larvae – https://observer.globe.gov/
  19. Land Cover – Adopt a Pixel – photo land around you – https://observer.globe.gov/
  20. City Nature Challenge 2019 (California Academy of Sciences and iNaturalist. City BioBlitz friendly competition – April 26-29,2019) – https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2019