📱 EwA Citizen Science: Co-Creative Conservation in Action
Giving Science Back to the People
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“In the years ahead, naturalists have a vital role to play in the future of the world. Next to professional scientists, they are one of the most important groups of people, for with their help in learning about the world, and in protecting it and persuading others to protect it, they will become the guardians of our planet and of our welfare as a species” – Gerald Durrell
Climate science & Biodiversity science need you, your skills, and the information that you can collect. The good news is that you can really make a difference!
🔎 ▹ Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest bee to the unfurling of our most common weed. Sharing our findings with scientific data repositories help scientists find and use our data. All we have to do is observe. So then… We’re inviting you to participate in our projects. Let’s do it, together!
We are running 8 different kinds of biodiversity citizen science programs in Massachusetts, as well as worldwide through our biodiversity and nature system data collections.
These programs cover plant event timing monitoring; plant community assessment; pollinator and insect surveys; Biodiversity monitoring and mapping; bird counting & activity monitoring; and vernal pool documentation and certification.
We build, develop, and evolve our projects together with you bridging communities, domains, and expertise. Projects’ observations and documentation follow standardized or harmonized protocols and get uploaded to global platforms so that the information can be shared, used and compared between organizations and countries. The global platforms that we use include iNaturalist, Nature’s Notebook, Caterpillars Count and eBird. We also partner with professional scientists to achieve common local goals. In short, we make our data count!
⇩ EwA Citizen Science & Why We Need It ⇩ EwA Massachusetts Programs ⇩ EwA Ecological Studies
EwA Citizen Science Pillars
Join our iNat biodiversity projects Enjoy documenting with us!
EwA Citizen Science refers to the general public engagement in scientific research activities when citizens actively contribute to science either with their intellectual effort or surrounding knowledge or with their tools and resources.
Participants provide experimental data and facilities for researchers, raise new questions and co-create a new scientific culture. While adding value, citizen scientists acquire new learning and skills, and a deeper understanding of the scientific work in an appealing way.
As a result of this open, networked and trans-disciplinary scenario, science-society-policy interactions are improved leading to more democratic research based on evidence-informed decision making.
So, why join?
» Because Citizen science is exhilarating and connects us directly with Nature and the communities around us.
» Because Citizen science enables people from all walks of life to advance scientific
» Because recording what we observe helps scientists and resource managers understand when and where organisms occur, how species populations vary in richness and abundance, and how fast or slowly natural events happen.
» Because co-creative citizen science democratizes science and makes it less vulnerable to the priorities governed by lobbies and special interest groups, whose interests aren’t always aligned with ecological priorities and public safety.
» Because this way, we gain invaluable knowledge that informs us and helps us influence our communities, our government, and science itself.
Our projects specifically
Our projects cover Biodiversity mapping; Plant event timing monitoring (Phenology); Ecological community assessment; Pollinator & insect surveys; Bird counting & activity monitoring; And vernal pool documentation and certification.
🔎 Massachusetts ProgramsWe invite you to become EwA naturalists and join a caring community |
Most
EwA at the Fells 🍃
Document with us the biodiversity and the natural cycles of the Middlesex Fells Reservation and develop an understanding of the importance of ecology, phenology, ethics while helping science through citizen science.
EwA at Fresh Pond 🦋
Document with us the Fresh Pond’s Lusitania meadow and its plants visitors, to help science understand pollinator population occurence and abundance, and species interactions.
EwA at Habitat 🐝
Document with us the plants visitors of the lower and higher meadows at Audubon Habitat, to help science understand pollinator population occurence and abundance, and species interactions.
EwA at the Growing Center 🐞
Insects are in trouble, but we can do something about it right where we live in Somerville! Join us and help our community pollinators, the scientists who study them and all of us who depend upon them.
📝 EwA Ecological StudiesPlants, wildlife, habitats – There’s something for everyone |
🌱 Phenology
Recording nature’s seasonal events
Phenology is the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as habitat factors (such as elevation).
Phenology monitoring is part of our effort to collect information about the impact of climate change on the synchronicity of fauna and flora phenophases (i.e., observable stages or phases in the annual life cycle of a plant or animal that can be defined by a start and endpoint).
EwA is a USA National Phenology Network (NPN) partner. EwA uses its national standardized protocol to record phenophases. The collected data is stored and aggregated via the NPN’s Nature’s Notebook program/platform (Search for the ‘Earthwise Aware’ project and partner group).
The EwA phenology program leader is an NPN certified local phenology leader. Last but not least, EwA is the proud winner 🥇 of the NPN 2019 Pheno Champion Award!
We run studies in local parks, reservations, and urban open spaces. One of our study locations is at the Middlesex Fells Reservation, a 2800-acres urban woodland managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. There, we record seasonal fauna & flora cycles at 7 different sites.
Check EwA’s interactive pheno-site map – Join our effort!
🦋 Insect & Pollinator Survey
Observing insect populations & life cycle
Surveying pollinators and other plant visitors is intended to help local entomologists and global conservation scientists. Continuous phenology and population data are lacking. The information that we record help fill the gap.
We feed the info to different global databases that are tracking species occurrences (iNaturalist), species composition and abundance (Caterpillar Counts), and insect
Collecting such data is an important scientific effort that helps us better understand the collapse of insect populations, which is being observed throughout the world. This kind of data is critical to understand the implications on avian populations, other fauna at large, and on our own species (e.g., food security). A better understanding will lead to better societal actions and policies.
▶️ How EwA Helps Arthropods | 📊 » EwA Plant Visitor Survey Protocol | 📆 » EwA Events Calendar
🦌 Biodiversity Mapping
The iNat EwA Biodiversity Projects » Explore & participate!
EwA actively records the biodiversity occurrence of 10 sites in 4 parks and reservations (Massachusetts, US). We also record biodiversity where ever we happen to be in the US and in the World
★ EwA Massachusetts Biodiversity Projects (Urban Wildlife, Woodland and Wetland Citizen Science)
Our mission is simple: Give power to the people to understand the ecology of the habitats we survey in the region and participate in the active protection of these unique landscapes. The program gets nature enthusiasts and volunteers to data-collect relevant species and habitat biodiversity observations over time. It fosters a fundamental understanding of ecology, phenology, and ethics. It helps science and wildlife conservation advocacy. Our main study sites are the Middlesex Fells Reservation, the Fresh Pond Reservation (Cambridge), the Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary (Belmont), and the Community Growing Center (Somerville).
- 🔎 ‘EwA at the Fells’ Program Details » | iNat Project »
- 🔎 ‘EwA at Fresh Pond’ Program Details » | iNat Project »
- 🔎 ‘EwA at Habitat’ Program Details » | iNat Project »
- 🔎 ‘EwA at the Growing Center’ Program Details » | iNat Project »
★ EwA Nature Circles (World Biodiversity)
We encourage our circles’ community to join the EwA Nature Circles citizen science project on iNaturalist and record/post the pictures of the species they encounter during a circle, or when hiking or traveling. This is open to all our followers wherever they may be in the World. Join us, and share your sightings. Let’s learn from each other while helping science.
- ⭕ EwA Nature Circles Program Details » | iNat Project »
We also record biodiversity wherever in the world we happen to be in our iNat country-specific projects (e.g., EwA in Romania, EwA in Mongolia, EwA in the UK).
EwA observations on iNaturalist.org
Example of Biodiversity Occurences in the Greater Boston Area
» Join EwA’s iNat Biodiversity Projects | » iNat Essentials | 📆 » EwA Events Calendar
🦉 Bird Monitoring
Observing bird populations, migration & seasonal activities
Together with the EwA Pollinator Surveys, monitoring birds at all our sites is intended to help local entomologists and global conservation scientists. Continuous phenology and population data are lacking, and the information that we record helps fill the gap.
We feed the info to different global databases that are tracking species richness (iNaturalist), population abundance (eBird), and bird
Collecting such data is an important scientific effort that helps us better understand the collapse of insect populations, which is being observed throughout the world. This kind of data is critical to understand the implications on avian populations, other fauna at large, and on our own species (e.g., food security). A better understanding will lead to better societal actions and policies.
🌿 Ecological Community Assessment
Tracking changes in ecological communities
Several times a year, we add to our phenology and biodiversity occurrence and abundance records and do ecological community assessments for some of our study sites, at the Middlesex Fells Reservation. This allows us to see how fauna and flora composition change over time in a rapidly changing world in critical at-risk habitats. These are necessary assessments measuring the health of our forests and geared to empower communities to inform environmental decision-makers.
Field protocols that we use include point count methods, habitat characterization methods, area searches, and species dominance assessment.
After gathering enough data, we report on the composition and changes and submit the information to the State’s institutions vested in the protection of the Fells.
⚠️ Invasive Species Patrol
Documenting & reporting invasive species pollution
🚧 We are currently piloting a national recording protocol that combines data from other databases and organizations as well as volunteer observations. The effort is to participate in the development of a national network of invasive species distribution data that is shared with educators, land managers, conservation biologists, and beyond. This data is to become the foundation for a better understanding of invasive species distribution around the world.
Biological pollution caused by invasive species is extremely challenging to deal with. We must actively seek solutions to control or eradicate the species which are problems already or have the potential to become problems. So we’re coming to the rescue, and help to grow the public support in the State to document rigorously and report invasives. This will help scientists to understand invasive species distribution and enable treatment interventions.
We’ll be back soon with a protocol, and campaigns that you can join to help the effort. Stay tuned!
💩 Fells Dog Poop Mapping
Study the impact of the dog poop littering in the Middlesex Fells Reservation
This is a project to study the impact and raise awareness about the littering of the Middlesex Fells Reservation with Dog Poop (bagged and not). The effort is also supported by the Friends of the Middlesex Fells.
As urban ecologists, we encounter specific urban situations. One is the abundance of dog poop in fragile habitats. We love our dogs, yet their parasites (harmless to them), and the chemicals in their processed diet food passing in their excrements (even when bagged) leach into the Fells wetlands when not disposed of properly. This in return harms a plethora of wildlife and their habitats. Further down the line, it hurts us too. We seem to forget that our parks are critical ecological reservoirs for us humans and our pets.
🗺️ Explore & Share the map – Share your sightings with us! ⚠️ We need pics with exact timestamps and location/GPS metadata. The best way for us to collect your data (and guarantee data quality) is that you upload your pics to a shared google album that we’ll communicate upon request. Contact us at FellsDPMapping@earthwiseaware.org and ask us to join that album.
🐸 Vernal Pool Awareness & Protection
Identifying & protecting the vernal pools of the Middlesex Fells Reservation
The Vernal Pool Awareness & Protection Project is a cool community-based conservation initiative for protecting the vernal pools and wetland habitats of the Middlesex Fells Reservation through education, partnerships, and science.
The program focuses on the vernal pools of the Middlesex Fells Reservation that are not yet ‘certified’ (following the definition of Vernal Pools as defined by the State of Massachusetts). Working with local herpetologists, our goal is to document certify those potential pools so that they get protected under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act regulations. Doing so, we close species migration gaps between the non-certified and certified pools, therefore directly improving the conservation of wetland species, and specifically of the species of the Fells.
📊 » EwA Vernal Pool Awareness & Protection Protocol (& 📋 Field Form) | 📆 » EwA Events Calendar
More Citizen Science… |
Here are a couple of other popular Citizen Science platforms, which list not only Nature-based projects, but also a myriad of great projects in many various disciplines including biology, physics, astronomy, climate, and more.
scistarter is a place to find, join, and contribute to science through more than 1600 formal and informal research projects, events and tools. EwA projects are showcased there as well! SciStarter’s database of citizen science projects enables discovery, organization, and greater participation in science. This is also the place to track your contributions, bookmark things you like, and access the tools and instruments needed to get started.
Zooniverse is a large and very popular platform for people-powered research. This research is made possible by volunteers—hundreds of thousands of people around the world who come together to assist professional researchers. Zooniverse’s goal is to enable research that would not be possible, or practical, otherwise. Zooniverse research results in new discoveries, datasets useful to the wider research community, and many publications.
Sharing is Caring Spread the word!
Back to ▹ Rules & Tools 📜
Practicing citizen science with Earthwise Aware is an empowering way to broaden your experience of the ecosystem we all live in. It manages to be both approachable and rigorous, and time spent practicing citizen science with us is time building useful skills, from identification to more general knowledge of ecosystem dynamics.
Hello I am a Medford Girl Scout Junior Troop Leader of 72091. Our troop will be starting our Bronze Award soon and decided to help animals for their project, yet they are not sure exactly what animals and where. Would this organization be able to meet with my troop and explain maybe local animal issues and different ways we may be able to help as a troop? Any ideas and feedback would be great.
Sharon McCarthy
Hi Sharon, yes we’ll be glad to meet with you and your troop and give you some insight. Contact us at citizenscience@earthwiseaware.org and we’ll set up a time to talk.