Biodiversity & Climate Science Need You! 🍃
It is critical to understand how climate and land use affect plant and animal life to protect and restore habitats where they can thrive, including in our urban green spaces. EwA is doing its part, and you can too! Be part of a community of volunteers who share your passion for protecting biodiversity.
EwA runs an extensive participatory biodiversity and climate participatory science program in Middlesex County. We specifically monitor plants and insects at four study sites: The Middlesex Fells Reservation (Winchester and Medford), Fresh Pond Reservation (Cambridge), Horn Pond (Woburn), and the Somerville Community Growing Center (Somerville). In the Fells, we also document habitat fragmentation (amphibian activity, habitat health assessment, dog waste, park usage, and informal/user trails). We need nature enthusiasts and advocates to help both in the field and with developing program resources.
Volunteer At EwA–Make a Difference for People & Nature
“Monitoring with EwA has been a rewarding and fun experience. We follow a set route each week, and it’s so interesting to see how time, the seasons, and the use of the Fells affect the plants and animals we monitor. And knowing that the data we collect contributes to local and national conservation groups makes me feel our efforts are really making a difference in preserving the Fells and other natural areas.” — Lisa DiRocco (EwA Citizen scientists, Middlesex Fells Reservation program)
Program Basics
What will you be doing? Learning great skills, sharing with a great community, and recording critical information usable nationwide about plants, and animals, their activity and interactions, and the health of their habitat. ⓘ More about EwA’s Participatory Science Program ☞ here.
When does monitoring occur? The monitoring season is April-Oct. Interact with your team, choose shifts that work with your schedule and monitor several times a month for less than an hour. If you can’t attend, let us know and we will find a substitute.
Training schedule: 2nd Fri. monthly at the Middlesex Fells, 2nd Sat. monthly at the Somerville Growing Center. ⓘ Check EwA’s calendar ☞ here.
You’ll document using standardized protocols, where the data serves a larger purpose than our studies only, but is also open and can be (and is) used by local, state-wide, and national scientists and institutions.
The Rewards
Volunteers help and receive a great deal in return. We are a caring community. Our citizen scientists gain incredible expertise with us: we coach our volunteers so that we can reach maximum personal & team satisfaction while ensuring quality data and processes. In short, we value our people and their contribution, and we make our data count! How is the data used exactly? ⓘ Check EwA’s yearly conservation reports and digest ☞ here.