Citizen Science

Science needs YOU! Good science requires good data - lots of good data. Modern technology has made data collection easier. Because of new ways that we can share and receive data through crowdsourcing, youth and their families can work together with professional scientists in national parks, and throughout the world.

The National Park Service hosts many citizen science projects in places close to the C&O Canal like the time lapse photography project in Shenandoah National Park and insect analysis in George Washington Memorial Parkway. Other participating parks include Acadia National Park (Maine), Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona), and Indiana Dunes National Park. See the NPS Citizen Science page for more information.

Below are some additional organizations that will connect you to even more scientists that need your help.

The City Nature Challenge is an international effort for people to find and document plants and wildlife in cities across the globe. It’s a bioblitz-style competition where cities are in a contest against each other to see who can make the most observations of nature, who can find the most species, and who can engage the most people.

Zooniverse is a citizen science web portal owned and operated by the Citizen Science Alliance. It is home to some of the internet's largest, most popular and most successful citizen science projects.
This publication uses data generated via the Zooniverse.org platform, development of which is funded by generous support, including a Global Impact Award from Google, and by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Smithsonian Citizen Science Projects - Since their founding, the Smithsonian has relied on the talents and dedication of Citizen Scientists. James Smithson was a "gentleman-chemist". Joseph Henry, an acclaimed scientist and the Smithsonian's first Secretary, recruited volunteers to submit daily weather reports by telegraph, thus laying the groundwork for the National Weather Service. Today, Smithsonian researchers enlist volunteers for an array of tasks, both onsite and online. Depending on your interests, you can help sustain species around the globe and even solve mysteries of the planets and stars!

Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Join the Stream Waders! After returning a completed form and a training session, participants are able to collect invertebrate samples from Maryland stream beds which are then sent to the Maryland DNR for analysis and ”bug identification”. Afterward you can see the results of yours, and others’ work online with published data & reports.

BirdQuest from eBird

A cool way to engage kids in eBird. There are 6 challenges that kids can complete using BirdQuest Booklets that they can download for FREE off the BirdQuest website. These challenges can help provide insight on the biodiversity of birds in the area. Want to help improve the habitat for birds?Additional activities can also be found at BirdSleuth.

Thank you!