December 2019 • Nebraskaland 43
To find a citizen science project to contribute to,
visit scistarter.org, zooniverse.org or the Citizen
Scientists of Nebraska Facebook page. Here are just a
few projects you can participate in.
Monarch Watch Monarch Tagging Program (late
August through early October, in Nebraska): Each fall,
Monarch Watch distributes more than a quarter of a
million tags to thousands of volunteers across North
America who tag monarchs as they migrate through
their area. Learn more at monarchwatch.org/tagging.
Christmas Bird Count (mid-December through
early January): The Christmas Bird Count is one of
the longest running citizen science projects in the
nation, and fuels the work of the National Audubon
Society throughout the year. Find a count near you at
noubirds.org/activities/cbc.aspx.
iNaturalist (throughout the year): One of the
world's most popular nature apps, iNaturalist helps
you identify the plants and animals around you, and
creates research-quality data for scientists. Learn
more at iNaturalist.org.
Nebraska Salamander Search (spring): This
project is an effort to find and record observations
of tiger and smallmouth salamanders in Nebraska.
Nebraska Game and Parks and the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln will use the data to document its
range and abundance. See details at scistarter.org/
nebraska-salamander-search.
Globe at Night (throughout the year): A little
more than 100 years ago, you could walk outside at
night even in a city and see the Milky Way. Because
of light pollution, that's often no longer the case.
Submit measurements of night sky brightness at
globeatnight.org and contribute to our understanding
of global light pollution.
eBird (throughout the year): A project of the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology, eBird is the world's largest
biodiversity-related citizen science project, with more
than 100 million bird sightings contributed each year
from users across the globe. The data documents
bird distribution, abundance, habitat use and trends.
Learn more at eBird.org.
Monarch and Regal Fritillary Butterfly Surveys
(June-July): There is an urgent need to track monarchs
and regal fritillaries across their range over time
to better understand and adjust conservation
methods. Support Nebraska Game and Parks in
this effort by finding and recording observations
of Nebraska's monarchs and regal fritillaries. Visit
OutdoorNebraska.gov/butterflysurvey.
Citizen Science Projects to Try
Tagging monarchs is a popular way to participate in
citizen science for people across North America.
Curt Blum searches for birds at Pioneers Park in
Lincoln, looking for sightings to add to the eBird app.
Maria Wainwright gazes at the sky at the Wildlife
Safari Park during a Globe at Night project session.
PHOTO
BY
ERIC
FOWLER
