C0mmunity members are people in the world. Scientists study the world. Community-Scientists are regular, everyday people who use their senses and their smarts to learn about the world around them. You don’t have to be an adult to be a citizen-scientist and there are a lot of organizations that could use your help. Here are some of them:
inaturalist: This App and website allows you to record your encounters with other organisms and maintain a life list. It can also help you ID the organisms you find! www.inaturalist.org
Butterflies:
Monarch Watch: Tag and monitor Monarch Butterflies www.monarchwatch.org
Monarch Larval Monitoring Project: Look for and report the number of monarch eggs, caterpillars, and pupae that you see each week. www.mlmp.org
North American Butterfly Association: Keep track of every butterfly you see, not just Monarchs www.naba.org
Birds:
Christmas Bird Count: Go out on one day and record all the birds you see. This count has been going on for over 100 years! www.audubon.org/Bird/cbc
Great Backyard Bird Count: Observe birds for only 15 minutes over a four day weekend! http://gbbc.birdcount.org/
Project Feeder Watch: www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw
BirdSleuth: www.birds.cornell.edu/birdsleuth
ebird: ebird.org.
Frogs:
FrogWatch: There’s lots about frogs and toads to help you learn to identify them. www.aza.org/frogwatch
Music of Nature: Learn what different frogs sound like–and lots more animals besides! www.musicofnature.org
North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP): Learn what different frogs sound like, then go with an adult as you drive around, listening for frogs. (This website is very slow to load.) www.pwrc.usgs.gov/naamp
Ladybugs:
Lost Ladybug Project: Learn to identify different Ladybugs and record the pictures you take of them. www.lostladybug.org
BugGuide: If you’ve found an insect you can’t identify, this is THE place to go for help! www.bugguide.net