Citizen Science: Nature’s Notebook

The USA National Phenology Network brings together citizen scientists, government agencies, non-profit groups, educators and students of all ages to monitor the impacts of climate change on plants and animals in the United States. The network harnesses the power of people and the Internet to collect and share information, providing researchers with far more data than they could collect alone.
                   

Nature’s Notebook is a national plant and animal phenology observation program of the USA-NPN. You can join thousands of other individuals who are providing valuable observations that scientists, educators, policy makers, and resource managers are using to understand how plants and animals are responding to climate change and other environmental changes. Observations by participants like you are already helping researchers detect early leaf-out in forests from St. Louis to Maine in response to unusually warm winters and springs. 

There are four easy steps to get started observing plants and animals in your area:

• Learn about the plants and animals you can observe
  Find out which species in your area are on the list - learn more about them and the phenophases to look for. (Examples of springtime phenophases that interest scientists include flowering, leaf unfolding, insect emergence, and bird, fish, and mammal migration.)
• Learn how to observe
  Learn how to select a site, select your plants and animals, and record your observations.
• Sign up to be an observer
  Become an official participant and set your username and password. All you need is an email address and Internet access.
• Log in to Nature’s Notebook
  As you collect data during the season, log in to your account at Nature’s Notebook and enter your observations.

Go to www.usanpn.org/participate/observe for complete information.

(From the March 2013 Newsletter)