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Citizen Science OpportuntitiesThis page provides the contact information of organizations that provide Citizen Science opportunities - allow the public to get involved with scientific research on a volunteer basis.
THIS LISTING IS:
Maine Garlic Project - Maine http://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/maine-garlic-project/ This is a participatory research project aimed at increasing the knowledge of Garlic production in Maine. For $5, participants will receive a bulb of Garlic in the mail. They will then plant the bulb and record, in an online database, its growth over the course of a year. The Maine Garlic Project is hoping to gather enough data to make judgments on the optimal planting and harvest times or different areas of Maine. What do you gain from this? An exciting project, and a potential lifetime supply of garlic! AIR QUALITY Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) Visibility Volunteers - Maine to Virginia
http://www.outdoors.org/conservation/mountainwatch/vizvols-how.cfm
AMC's Visibility Volunteers, or VIz Vols, document the air quality conditions on their hikes using a camera to document visibility (or lack of it from haze pollution) and the ozone levels with an ozone detector card. Scientists compile submitted data and post it to the AMCs website. The reports are used for public education, advocacy for improved air quality laws and regulations, and to interest media in air quality issues. Also at this site, you will find on-line curriculum and background information about ozone and haze pollution. Links include Weather & Climate, Air Quality, Ecosystems, and Results & Reports.
AMPHIBIANS
Amphibian Monitoring Program - Maine
http://www.maineaudubon.org/conserve/citsci.shtml
Maine Audubon sponsors many citizen science opportunities throughout the state. Check their website to get the most up-to-date list. They also host migratory songbird and owl programs where you can watch scientists at work mist-netting and banding birds. For more information about the banding programs call the Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist at 781-2330.
FrogWatch USA - USA
http://www.aza.org/frogwatch/
FrogWatch USA is a long-term frog and toad monitoring program managed by the American Zoological Society. Anyone can volunteer! You do not have to be a frog or toad expert to make a contribution; all you need is an interest in frogs and toads. You can learn all you need to know to volunteer and sign-up on their website.
AQUATIC - FRESHWATER LAKES, PONDS, RIVERS & STREAMS
http://www.mainevolunteerlakemonitors.org
The Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program (VLMP) is one of the largest and oldest citizen-based lake monitoring programs in the country. Their mission is to provide protection for the nearly 6,000 lakes in Maine through the acquisition of scientific data, and to raise public awareness about the extraordinary ecological, aesthetic and economic value of Maine's lakes and ponds. Volunteers are from all walks of life and are of all ages. Many have been with the program for over twenty years. Every summer, hundreds of certified volunteer lake monitors throughout the state collect valuable scientific data. Volunteers are asked to spend a minimum of 24 hours per year on a lake (monitoring May through September at two-week intervals), and must have access to a boat.
PLANTS
Maine Garlic Project - Maine http://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/maine-garlic-project/ This is a participatory research project aimed at increasing the knowledge of Garlic production in Maine. For $5, participants will receive a bulb of Garlic in the mail. They will then plant the bulb and record, in an online database, its growth over the course of a year. The Maine Garlic Project is hoping to gather enough data to make judgments on the optimal planting and harvest times or different areas of Maine. What do you gain from this? An exciting project, and a potential lifetime supply of garlic! PlantWatch - Maine
http://www.maine.gov/dep/air/plantwatch/index.htm
Intended for secondary school students and adults
Help the Maine Department of Environmental Protection gather data that will help track the effects of global warming. All you need to do is register at their website, read their training materials, then begin sending them your observations of plants in bloom.
WEATHER
http://www.cocorahs.org
Each state has a volunteer weather-monitoring program known as CoCoRaHS. At this website you can join weather-watchers from across the nation, take on-line training, sign up for additional courses with meteorologists, and learn all you need to know to record and report weather conditions at your home to your local National Weather Service office.
WILDLIFE
Lobster Monitoring - Coastal New England
http://www.lobsters.org
The Lobster Conservancy (TLC) works with fishermen and volunteers
throughout the Gulf of Maine region to sustain a thriving lobster fishery
through science and community. The Juvenile Lobster Monitoring Project trains
citizen volunteers in a rigorous scientific methodology to census intertidal
lobster nursery sites. Harboring "baby? lobsters (some only the length of a
fingernail), these nursery sites are accessible once a month during the lowest
low tides. Their accessibility makes them extremely valuable as indicators of
lobster fishery health ? the baby lobsters counted today will be keepers when
caught in lobstermen?s traps six or seven years from now. More than 60 citizen
volunteers surveying over 20 sites make possible an affordable census of the
next generation of lobsters, and help manage the resource sustainably. Training is required and provided. A several-year commitment to once-per-month surveys, March through November, is also required.
http://www.maineaudubon.org/conserve/citsci.shtml
Maine Audubon sponsors many citizen science opportunities
throughout the state. Check their website to get the most up-to-date list. They
also host migratory songbird and owl programs where you can watch scientists at
work mist netting and banding birds. For more information about the banding
programs call the Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist at 781-2330.
Wildlife Watch - USA
http://www.nwf.org/wildlifewatch/
National Wildlife Federation?s Wildlife Watch is a national,
nature-watching program created for people of all ages. Through the program you
can share details that help National Wildlife Federation track the health and
behavior of wildlife and plant species nationwide. In return, the Wildlife
Watch website keeps you up-to-date on wildlife news and facts, and new ideas
for attracting wildlife to your backyard and community.
Originating from Brunswick, Maine PO Box 955 Brunswick, ME 04011 Executive Director Jocelyn Hubbell copyright 2010. all rights reserved. |