Check out some of these terrific opportunities to explore science in Kitsap County and areas beyond!
Observe Wildlife Anywhere
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National Geographic BioBlitzA BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. At a BioBlitz, scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to get a snapshot of an area’s biodiversity. These events can happen in most any geography – urban, rural, or suburban – in areas as small as a backyard or as large as a country.
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City Nature ChallengeMulti-day event engaging residents and visitors in documenting nature to better understand urban biodiversity.
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Nature’s NotebookInterested in what’s happening to plant and animal populations, either on a seasonal or long-term basis? Turn your interest into a valuable collaborative community science program! Track Seasonal Changes in Plants and Animals.
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Nature Map ExplorerInterested in what’s happening to plant and animal populations, either on a seasonal or long-term basis? Turn your interest into a valuable collaborative community science program!
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BC Parks iNaturalist Project Confirming British Columbians’ love of nature and the outdoors, nearly 3 million observations of wildlife and natural species in BC had been aggregrated over iNaturalist and other nature-observation apps to date. This year, we’re calling on you to help us reach 3 million observations in BC’s Big Nature Challenge.
Birds
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The Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST)COASST is a 19-year-old citizen science project housed at the University of Washington and focused on the beach environment of the northeast Pacific. Since our beginning, over 1,000 participants on more than 450 beaches spanning four states have contributed directly to monitoring their local marine resources and ecosystem health.
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Great Backyard Bird CountParticipate in the Great Backyard Bird Count, an annual event that gets bird watchers to count birds across the continent and then tallies the highest number of birds of each species seen together at one time.
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Audobon’s Bird CountChristmas Bird Count and contribute to a wildlife census that will help scientists assess the health of bird populations.
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Bird WatchJoin eBird, an online checklist project created by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. Ebird allows people to report real-time bird sightings and observations.
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Nest WatchJoin NestWatch, a continent-wide project to monitor bird nests. The project was started by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.
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Celebrate Urban BirdsObserve birds in an urban neighborhood for the Celebrate Urban Birds project, and send the data to scientists at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
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Project Feeder WatchHelp Project FeederWatch with a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locations in North America.
Space
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Star-DustWant a chance to have an interstellar dust particle named after you? Help NASA by volunteering for Stardust@home and searching images for tiny interstellar dust impacts.
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Globe at Night – Measure night-sky brightnessJoin the Globe at Night program in documenting light pollution by submitting data based on the visibility of constellations.
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Classify GalaxiesDo what a computer can’t! Join the Galaxy Zoo project to help scientists classify galaxies according to their shapes.
Weather
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Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, Snow Network (CoCoRas)Volunteer to join the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network. The data you help collect will be used for weather forecasting and monitoring, severe weather alerts, and climate studies.
Fish
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Freshwater Ecology and Conservation LabAt the Freshwater Ecology and Conservation Lab, we work to advance the science and practice of conserving freshwater ecosystems.
Amphibians
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Listen for Frog & Toad CallsHelp scientists conserve amphibians as a volunteer for Frogwatch USA. Listen for the calls of frogs and toads for 20 minutes a week, and record and share your data.
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Frog & Toad PopulationsSurvey frog and toad populations in your area by participating in the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program, which will teach you how to identify frogs and toads by their calls.
Butterflies
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Monarch Larvae Monitoring ProjectContribute to a census of the butterflies of North America – in the United States, Canada, and parts of Mexico. Participate in a one-day butterfly count in your area for the North American Butterfly Association.
Bees
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US National Native Bee Monitoring Research Coordination Network (RCN)The US National Native Bee Monitoring Research Coordination Network (RCN) is a USDA-funded effort to coordinate and support efforts to monitor native bee populations in the US, with the broader goal of conserving our nation’s native bee fauna. From 2020-2023, native bee biologists from across the US will work together to develop a national plan for native bee monitoring. The plan will include components such as monitoring protocols and the designation of priority areas for monitoring. The RCN will also develop new educational and training opportunities in areas that are fundamental to native bee monitoring.
Plants
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Early Detection Rapid Response Citizen Science Program Citizen Scientists can provide critical information about newly emerging plant populations, shifting distributions, abundance and phenology of invasive plants to land managers in need of the data. PNW IPC works in partnership with National Forests and Parks, Washington Dept. of Agriculture (WSDA), Department of Natural Resources (DNR), county noxious weed programs, and other local groups on a Citizen Science EDRR Invasive Plant Program.
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Global Garlic Mustard Field StudyBe a part of an international effort to identify populations of an invasive plant – garlic mustard – in the Global Garlic Mustard Field Survey.
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Learn About Local PlantsJoin the National Phenology Network’s plant monitoring program. Learn about plant species in your area and record your observations about observable phases in the annual life cycle of plants.
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Observe Plant Life CyclesJoin Project BudBurst to gather environmental and climate change information in your local area. Observe the life cycles of trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses to see when they have their first leafing, first flower, and first fruit ripening.
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MeadoWatchAt MeadoWatch, our mission is to engage Mt. Rainier National Park visitors in scientific research to understand how climate change will influence the timing of flowering and seed production in the iconic high mountain meadows.
Trees
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Western Redcedar Dieback MapWestern redcedar is critical to the livelihood of our forests and communities. However, many reports of dieback have been shared recently. We need YOUR help to understand why! Help science go faster by sharing observations of healthy and unhealthy redcedar trees!
Water
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World Water Monitoring DayCelebrate World Water Monitoring Day. Use a test kit to sample local bodies of water for water quality data and share the results with other communities around the world.
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Eyes on the WatershedInterested In Exploring Your Watershed? Start by picking a watershed close to you and explore the Story Map associated with it.
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WA State Dept. of Ecology – Protecting Our WatersEach of us can make small changes at home, at play, and at work to help keep water clean — and that adds up to a pollution solution.
Apps
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Global Earth ChallengeThe world is facing a climate crisis – hurricanes batter coastlines, rising seas sink cities and wildfires ravage landscapes. With the planet in flux, we need people of all backgrounds observing these changes and contributing to science. That’s where Global Earth Challenge comes in. Global Earth Challenge is the world’s largest ever coordinated citizen science campaign. The initiative works to integrate existing citizen science projects, as well as build the capacity for new ones – all as part of a larger effort to grow citizen science worldwide.
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Hush CityHush City is a free, citizen science mobile app, which empowers people to identify and assess quiet areas in cities as to create an open access, web-based map of quiet areas, with the potential of orientating plans and policies for healthier living, in response to issues framed by European environmental policies.
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iNaturalistSmartphone technologies and apps such as iNaturalist make collecting photographs and biological information about living things easy as part of a BioBlitz. High quality data uploaded to iNaturalist becomes part of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, an open-source database used by scientists and policy makers around the world.
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SEEKiNaturalist also has a tool that helps young people and families to explore, called Seek. Identify plants and animals in a few quick steps with this app. While exploring outside, point the Seek camera at living things. Follow the instructions on screen, and the image recognition technology will identify different types of plants, birds, amphibians, insects, fungi, and more. Seek helps to classify to the species level where possible, earning participants virtual badges.