Winter in Texas comes with a variety of weather: warm, cool, cloudy, sunny, and more. Getting outside isn't always possible, but there is so much to observe, whether or not you are outside! Let’s explore our inner citizen scientists.
Citizen Science, as defined by National Geographic, opens a new window, is “the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge.” As explained by the USDA Forest Service, opens a new window, it involves:
- Asking questions
- Working on projects
- Conducting scientific experiments
- Collecting and analyzing data
- Discovering
- Problem solving
There are lots of fun ways to start practicing this work on your own, from making simple observations, to creating a nature journal, to looking up the name of a plant or animal. Explore apps like Merlin Bird ID, iNaturalist, or My Tree ID. Any act of curiosity is a great start to being a citizen scientist. This blog focuses on animal and plant science, but there are many opportunities to engage with citizen science in other fields.
Many people and groups are doing this work, and there are local projects aplenty to start with! Find a chapter of a state or national group, such as Texas Master Naturalists, opens a new window or Texas Parks and Wildlife, opens a new window. Explore local projects, like the Blackland Prairie restoration at Monarch Park, opens a new window, this Chronolog, opens a new window organized by Play Frisco on the Big Bluestem Trail (and other chronologs here, opens a new window), or the upcoming City Nature Challenge, opens a new window that spans the DFW area.
Now, where to begin? The good news is that, whether blisteringly hot or frigidly cold outside, there are many places to begin observing the nature around you: starting inside your own house! Have you ever noticed what spiders hang around the corners of your home? Look out the window: what is happening in the trees, the dog park, or the plants on the porch? If you’re running errands, what birds or plants do you see in the parking lot? Noticing the nature that is closest to us is a fun way to interact with our environment on a day-to-day basis.
There are many other ways to be a citizen scientist that go beyond the outdoors. Finding what you enjoy and learning about ways you can contribute is fun, exciting, and educational. Get started by being curious and asking questions about what you notice around you and find ways to engage with those questions. Below are titles and kits that expand on the topic of nature and citizen science. In the words of Bill Nye, “Science rules!”
Suggested Titles:
What's Wild Outside your Door?, opens a new window
Parking Lot Birding, opens a new window
The Outdoor Scientist, opens a new window
The Observologist, opens a new window
The Everyday Naturalist, opens a new window
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