In oceans, streams, rivers, lakes

CyberTracker Conservation is a non-profit organisation that promotes the vision of a Worldwide Environmental Monitoring Network. Our ultimate vision is that smart phone users worldwide will use CyberTracker to capture observations on a daily basis.

CyberTracker is the most efficient method of gps field data collection. You can use CyberTracker on a Smartphone or handheld computer to record any type of observation. CyberTracker, which requires no programming skills, allows you to customize an Application for your own data collection needs.

The Marine Debris Tracker mobile application allows you to help make a difference by checking in when you find trash on our coastlines and waterways. Data you submit is available to download online and you also have access to mapping all data, worldwide. Marine Debris Tracker is a joint partnership of the NOAA Marine Debris Division and the Southeast Atlantic Marine Debris Initiative (SEA-MDI), located within the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia.

Help the Large Pelagics Research Center improve scientific understanding of large pelagic species by catching, measuring and releasing juvenile bluefin with conventional “spaghetti”-ID tags.

The LPRC initiated its Tag A Tiny program in 2006 to study the annual migration paths and habitat use of juvenile Atlantic bluefin tuna.

As of 2012, 1258 recreational fishermen have helped LPRC to tag 1,645 bluefin, mostly juveniles from 1-4 years old, and some “medium” size fish, nearing 70 inches. All of the records are entered into the Billfish Foundation, NMFS, and ICCAT databases.

The iSeeChange Almanac is a socially networked weather Almanac for communities to collectively journal their climate experiences -- their observations, feelings, questions, and decisions --- against near-real time climate information.

Founded in April 2012 in Western Colorado, iSeeChange is a public radio and media experiment that fosters multimedia conversations between citizens and scientists about how seasonal weather and climate extremes affect daily American life. From the earliest spring recorded in the history of the United States, a landmark wildfire season, nationwide droughts, and weather records breaking everyday, climate affects every citizen and binds communities together.

iSeeChange is produced by Julia Kumari Drapkin in Western Colorado at KVNF Mountain Grown Community Radio as a part of Localore, a nationwide production of AIR in collaboration with Zeega, with principal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

We just launched the Almanac this week in Western Colorado. Stay tuned for more locations in the coming year!

The Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab in NYC is investigating the different ways people and dogs play together, and we need your help (well, you and your dog’s help). We are cataloguing all the ways people play with their dogs and asking dog owners to submit short videos of their own dog-human play.

By participating in Project: Play with Your Dog, citizen scientists are providing valuable information into the nuances and intricacies of our relationships with dogs.

IceWatch USA gives you the opportunity to help scientists study how our climate is changing. With as little as 10 minutes, you can report information that will help to analyze how our climate will change in different regions of the United States and how our ecosystems are reacting to the change.

Due to the increased emissions of greenhouse gases, among other factors, our climate is changing. Accurately recording and analyzing "ice on" and "ice off" events (also known as "ice phenology"), as well as other factors like snow depth, air temperature, and wildlife observations, offers a practical way to learn how climate change affects our environment. Even if you live in a southern state that doesn't experience ice, your winter observations of air temperature, precipitation, and wildlife are still important for the big picture.

IceWatch USA needs your help, and becoming an IceWatcher is very easy. All you need to do is:

1. Choose a location to observe over the winter, such as a nearby lake, bay, or river.
2. Record and report your observations.

Your information will be entered into a database, compared to other reports, and shared with interested scientists. IceWatch USA is also a proud partner of the National Phenology Network.

Get started today!

Redmap (Range Extension Database and Mapping Project) is a citizen science project that invites members of the community to spot marine species that are outside of their usual range (or distribution) at various points around Australia. In collecting this information Redmap is generating a database of "out of range" sightings to assess which species are shifting their ranges and whether these shifts are consistent with warming waters. Redmap is hosted by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

Young people and adults collect information on stream health and post biological, chemical and physical data, photos and videos on an interactive map. This provides information to the public, to scientists and to conservation groups about local water quality. The Creek Freaks website includes data forms and activity guides to get started monitoring aquatic macroinvertebrates (stream insects and crustaceans), water chemistry, and to take visual observations and physical measurements of the stream and streamside vegetation.

Yelkouan Shearwater Project aims at determining the seasonal changes in the movements and numbers of globally threatened Puffinus yelkouan in the Marmara Sea.

It is the first research project focusing on the populations of this species passing through two important Turkish straits in the Marmara Sea. The project will provide more accurate information on the knowledge obtained by the previous research in the Bosphorus and the movement patterns of endemic Yelkouan Shearwaters will be identified through the extended study area to better understand the whole picture in the Mediterranean Basin and to take part in the global conservation of this species.

Yelkouan Shearwater Project is funded by Rufford Small Grants.

Where are the invasive species in Maine? Where aren’t they? Students, educators, citizens, and scientists are working together to find out.

As part of the Vital Signs community you can help steward the 32,000 miles of rivers and streams, 6,000 lakes and ponds, 5,000 miles of coastline, and 17 million acres of forest that are threatened by invasive species.

Together we are using scientific tools and habits of mind to look for native and invasive species in local habitats. We are sharing what we find and do not find online. We are contributing to a greater understanding of our shared environment.

The SeaBC Sea Bird Count is a citizen science project organized by a volunteer group of long-distance birding sailors from around the world. The idea of a “SeaBC” was inspired by popular, long-standing land-based counts such as Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count (CBC) and the Census Bird Count (CBC) in the U.K.

Our mission is to benefit seabird conservation by mobilizing the worldwide boating community to document ocean bird sightings, providing critical and seldom-recorded data on seabird abundance and distribution and on ocean migration routes. SeaBC sea bird count data goes to Cornell University’s eBird database, where boaters’ sightings become a resource for scientists worldwide.

Seabird knowledge is described as a frontier science: Last year a new seabird species was discovered and a species believed to be extinct was sighted. For some species, breeding or wintering areas remain unknown. This lack of knowledge is troubling given that BirdLife International estimates one-third of seabirds are now vulnerable or globally endangered due to threats from predators on nesting grounds, some fisheries, and plastics.

Landmark Trees of India is a documentation, geography, and monitoring project with a focus on famous, remarkable, and heritage trees of India.
India is a country of superlative population, superlative biodiversity, and superlative environmental variety. These landmark trees can teach us about the landscapes, biodiversity, and people of India and the other nations of the world.

Marine Metre Squared (MM2) is an easy way to survey the intertidal community. Monitor a 1m x 1m square patch of your local rocky shore once every season by recording the animals and plants that live there.

Take fun in special scientific studies and fun educational challenges such as hunting for pest species, looking for evidence of animals breeding, and measuring seaweed growth.

Help others identify their new finds with the online forum. Submit your own questions and encourage others around New Zealand to take part.

The perfect project for families looking for holiday activities, schools and community groups looking for ways to engage with and improve their local environments.

The project website and database will be launched during Seaweek (2 - 10 March 2013).

We are a group of scientists interested in exploring the potential applications of Ecuador’s unique biodiversity. As a first step, we are working to assemble and apply gene libraries collected from around the country.
You can join field trips in Ecuador to collect samples, work in a lab extracting and sequencing nucleic acids, or from home assembling and curating the electronic database.

Prepare to get wet and muddy for science! We're looking for citizen scientists in North Carolina to help us learn more about the large, charismatic aquatic insects known as water sticks.

Simply find a body of water in your area, follow the protocol, and submit your data! We'll teach you how to identify the water sticks you find and how to cheaply build any equipment you don't already have (you'll have most of it). And if you don't find anything in the body of water you choose, no problem! Every bit of information helps and anything you can share is useful. With YOUR help, we can discover more about the seasonality, habitat preferences, and distribution of water sticks - together!

The River Watch Program is a voluntary asks pilots to report observed river ice conditions. Pilots are asked for reports on what they see along their normal route of flight and at their standard flight level. The purpose of the program is to assist the National Weather Service in providing accurate forecasts, warnings, and navigation information.

The National Weather Service is responsible for monitoring the ice breakup process to identify the potential for flooding due to ice jams. Alaskan rivers are also heavily used for transportation and knowledge of the status of the breakup process is useful for knowing when it is safe to use boats. Reports from observers can significantly increase the information available for these purposes.

Utah Water Watch (UWW) is a water quality education and data collection program that seeks to increase awareness about the importance of water quality and promote stewardship of Utah’s aquatic resources.

UWW is a partnership between USU Water Quality Extension and the Utah Division of Water Quality that creates a way for the public to help in monitoring Utah’s lakes and streams. This is a free program for volunteers of all ages to monitor water quality once a month and report the data to water managers.

This DIY mapping tool was the first developed by Public Lab, as part of the Grassroots Mapping project. Citizens use helium-filled balloons and digital cameras to generate high resolution “satellite” maps of areas such as in the Gulf Coast and Gowanus Canal. Although this tool has been in use for two years, components of the kit -- kite and balloon design, the rig, the camera -- continue to evolve as they are adopted in new places and adapted for new purposes. Besides the aerial mapping tools, Public Lab has also developed MapKnitter.org, an online tool for stitching aerial images into maps.

Infrared photography can help in assessing plant health, and has been used on satellites and planes for agricultural and ecological assessment primarily by vineyards, large farms and large-scale (read: expensive) research projects. By creating and open-sourcing a low-cost near-infrared camera and working with wetlands advocates, farmers and environmental activists, the Public Lab community has begun to explore grassroots uses for this powerful analytic technique.

AgeGuess is a simple on-line citizen science project and game where people can guess your age based on the face photos you link/upload. You will also be guessing other people’s age and comparing your results with others. By participating in AgeGuess you will create a first of its kind research data set for the study of human aging.

AgeGuess investigates the differences between perceived age (how old you look to other people) and chronological age (how old you actually are) and their potential power as an aging biomarker. Some of the specific topic we would like to address include: 


- Perceived age as predictor (biomarker) for age at death. Are people who look older than they are more likely to die early?

- Is 60 the new 50? We know that nowadays the average 60 year old is capable of doing things that fewer people of the same age where able to do 50 years ago. Is this difference also reflected in how old they look?

Please visit the intro page of our website for more information about these and other topics, such as: are there times when one ages faster, is perceived age heritable, and at what age are you best at guessing. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have other ideas that you would like to help us explore.

This smartphone app will help you explore habitats in your area and easily monitor wildlife populations by logging locations, photos, and responding to form questions all with the ease of your smartphone.

The Shark Observation Network invites Southern California divers to report sightings and submit their photos and videos of Sevengill Sharks, a species whose numbers are seemingly on the rise in the waters off San Diego. Your data will help scientists conduct a long-term study of the population and better understand the Sevengill's migration patterns.

We are currently seeking research assistants to join our field team in Ecuador studying the conservation ecology of reptiles and amphibians.

While Ecuador is a relatively small country—it’s roughly the size of Arizona—it stands as the third most diverse country in the world for amphibians (510 species) and is seventh for reptiles (430 species), making it a herpetologically mega-diverse region. Due to the severe deforestation taking place in addition to many other pressures on Ecuador’s fauna, TBG research program aims to study, document, and preserve these rich and unique communities of reptiles and amphibians found within the country’s diverse array of ecosystems.

As we are now in our 8th year working in Ecuador, we have study sites encompassing both the coastal forests in western Ecuador and the Amazon rainforest on the eastern side of the Andes Mountains. The work that research participants will be involved with will primarily consist of conducting night surveys for reptiles and amphibians (however other taxa such as invertebrates are also of interest), animal data collection, and lab work. Lab work consists of more detailed information such as scale counts (for reptiles) and other morphological information, animal measurements, screening for chytrid disease (amphibians), preservation (only when necessary), and acquisition of DNA samples. Diagnostic photographs of all animals will be taken. Other tasks include animal handling and general note taking and data organization

Volunteer participants will gain valuable research experience, contribute towards our mission in conservation ecology, and will have an unforgettable experience that provides the opportunity to study the most biologically diverse region of reptiles and amphibians in the world. For 2013 we now have expeditions scheduled in Western Ecuador for February 2-13 and FeBruary 16-27 and in Amazonian Ecuador for June 2-13.

We need your help to better understand dragonfly migration in North America. Although it spans three countries and has been documented since the 1880s, North American dragonfly migration is still poorly understood, and much remains to be learned about migratory cues, flight pathways, and the southern limits of overwintering grounds. Become part of an international network of citizen scientists and help monitor the spring and fall movements of the 5 main migratory species in North America, or report on these species throughout the year at a pond or wetland of your choice.

Our volunteers monitor Atlantic coast beaches from Maine to Florida documenting seabird mortality events on any scale, from a single dead gull, to a mass die-off of shearwaters.
The data collected serves as baseline for comparison after oil spills or major disease outbreaks, and as a baseline resource on the impacts of offshore development projects (e.g. oil drilling or wind) on seabird populations.

Housed within the Department of Geography at the Saint Mary's University campus, this network will serve as a location that members of the community can contact when they have a question about:

How to monitor/measure the environmental quality of the ecosystems in their community (based on Environment Canada's Ecological Monitoring and Assessment (EMAN) Protocols.

How to "access" scientific and social scientific data related to the environment.

How to use this data and utilize technology as a tool to further their understanding of their communities.

Adventurers and Scientist for Conservation is a unique initiative that helps create working reationships between scientists and adventure athletes to perform some truly unique research. Projects have been created all over the world and by groups of all kinds. The project even provides training for adventurers to become adventure-scientists.

The exciting benefits from these projects are numerous. Adventurers benefit by contributing to meaningful conservation research in areas that they visit. Additionally, scientists benefit from attaining inexpensive data that would have been previously hard or impossible to acquire. By no means, however are these adventure research projects limited to avid adventurers and professional scientists. Programs can be created anywhere for any age group. The goal of the project is to train and inspire the next generation of citizen scientists. In short, Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation will help you create a project, recruit participants, and start an Adventure Science project near you!

Invasive species are a growing global concern because of their negative impacts on ecosystem functions and biodiversity. American shad are an andaromous (ascend rivers from the ocean to spawn) fish native to the Atlantic coast of North America that were deliberately introduced to the Sacramento River, CA, in 1871. The species has now spread to additional Pacific coastal rivers, and have dramatically increased in abundance in the some systems like the Columbia River.

Despite their prevelance in the Pacific northwest, basic information about the ecological effects of shad on native species remain unknown. A first step towards gaining an understanding of the species impacts requires knowing where they continue to be found.

The Brook Trout Pond Survey Project is an effort to recruit volunteers to identify previously-undocumented wild brook trout populations in remote Maine ponds.

Maine brook trout are a special resource, and we need to know where they are before we can protect and manage them appropriately. The information collected by volunteer anglers will help inform future fisheries management decisions.

The Brook Trout Pond Survey Project is a collaborative effort by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Council of Trout Unlimited, and Maine Audubon.

The Illinois RiverWatch program engages citizen science volunteers in stewardship, education, and science for Illinois rivers. By becoming a trained volunteer, you can help collect a variety of quality ensured data and help contribute to statewide biological monitoring efforts. There are over 1,500 volunteers already monitoring streams in the state, but there are still more streams waiting to be claimed!

The training process involves attending a workshop that will help train volunteers in data collection and give you all the tools you need to monitor a stream of your choice. Soon, you will be a true citizen scientist and take part in collaborative efforts to keep Illinois’ streams clean and beautiful, sharing your data with other organizations, state agencies, and private interests.

eButterfly is a citizen science project that helps document butterflies in Canada. By creating a user profile and documenting observed butterflies, citizens can help scientists better understand butterfly distribution in Canada. Users can also track which butterflies they have observed on a dynamic map application, and share photos with the eButterfly community.

The 2,045 eButterfly records of over 170 species help the Canadian Facility for Ecoinformatics Research at the University of Ottawa's Department of Biology better understand how butterflies adapt to environmental change. Eventually, the data you collect will help contribute to the preservation of Canada’s great biodiversity.

River otters are ideal ambassadors for habitat preservation and restoration since they are charismatic carnivores reliant on healthy watersheds to thrive. The River Otter Ecology Project strives to build understanding and shed light on the conservation status and ecology of the North American river otter and the ecosystems they inhabit in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our work will serve to fill key gaps in the biology and ecology of these elusive but important aquatic carnivores while also directly engaging the public in their conservation through field-research, environmental education and strategic restoration partnerships.

The aim of PHOWN is to study variation of colony sizes of weavers, to map their breeding distribution, and to study these aspects in relation to climate change. This is achieved with the help of citizen scientists submitting photos of weaver nests or colonies.

Some feral populations exist throughout the world, and may be included in PHOWN. Species include the true weavers, bishops and widows, queleas, social weavers, sparrow weavers, buffalo weavers, malimbes and fodies. Sparrows are not included.

Weavers are often common species, and often found near human habitation. This makes them easy to study. Some species are of conservation concern and for some the nest has not even been described yet!

FieldScope is a community web-mapping tool that promotes student engagement as citizen scientists and involves them in learning through mapping. By combining easy data integration with powerful mapping visualization, FieldScope is on the cutting edge of community mapping.

The application is accessed online and is requires no installation. Students are able to upload field data photos and other media as well as collaborate with other students and scientists, and perform analysis on existing data. There are many rich projects to choose from, including mapping water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, investigating watershed dynamics, and mapping rivers and streams in the National Parks.

With students able to contribute and interact alongside scientists, meaningful science is sure to happen!

Spy on nature, and contribute to science. Share photos and observations through SciSpy and you're contributing to research initiatives that rely on amateur participation. Created by Science Channel (Discovery), SciSpy enlists paticipants to document the natural world of their backyards, parks, cities, and towns. Photos and observation data are tagged and stamped with date, time and location information and will hopefully provide helpful information to track migrations, changes in the natural environment, seasonal trends and more.

THE BROAD PICTURE: The aim of MammalMAP is to update the distribution records of all African mammal species. Through collaborations with professional scientists, conservation organisations, wildlife authorities and citizen scientists across Africa, we consolidate all reliable and identifiable evidence (camera trap records, photographs) of current mammal locations into an open-access digital database. The database software automatically generates online distribution maps of all recorded species which are instantly visible and searchable. The information consolidated within MammalMAP will not only yield crucial information for species conservation policies and landscape conservation policies, but provides an excellent platform for educating the public about African mammals and their conservation challenges.

WHY MAMMALMAP IS NECESSARY: In Africa, our knowledge of mammal distribution patterns is based largely on historical records. However, the last three centuries have seen extensive human-modification of African landscapes with the associated conversion, compression and fragmentation of natural land. With further land development presenting a likely reality for the future, the effectiveness of mammal conservation efforts depends on ecological records being updated so that they accurately reflect mammal distribution patterns in the 21st Century. With MammalMAP we plan to conduct these ecological updates over the coming years, by mapping the current distribution of mammal species (including marine mammals and small mammals) across Africa.

HOW MAMMALMAP CONTRIBUTES TO CONSERVATION: The conservation benefits of this research are multiple. First, the comparison of these updated distribution records with both historical and future records will enable the detection of species’ distribution changes in response to human-related and climate-related habitat changes. These change detections will assist the guidance of continent-wide conservation policies and decision making processes. Second, the research will promote and facilitate interdisciplinary and international collaboration amongst scientists and conservation practitioners, with potential benefits to the advancement of conservation science. Finally, both the project input stage (data collection) and output stage (data dissemination) will offer interactive, dynamic and widely applicable education tools suitable for both formal and informal education sectors.

THE WHERE AND THE HOW OF MAMMALMAP: The area of interest for MammalMAP is the whole of Africa. To achieve this we collaborate with scientists, conservation organisations, wildlife authorities and citizen scientists across the continent. Our methods involve consolidating evidence of mammal occurrence in a given location (camera trap records, photographs and other reliable records) into a digital database hosted by the Animal Demography Unit (ADU) at the University of Cape Town. In time, we will use the records in the database to generate distribution maps for all recorded species, in the same way that the ADU has done for birds, reptiles, frogs and butterflies.

Wildlife Sightings is a free service that lets anyone to publish, organize, and manage their own wildlife sightings data.

Wildlife Sightings helps eliminate the technical barriers and costs to non-profit organizations and educators wishing to conduct their own wildlife surveys. That way, nature lovers, conservation groups, eco-tourism business, and educators can focus their energy on what they love most -- citizen science!

By documenting the biodiversity around you, you can enjoy nature and aid conservation efforts at the same time.

The Secchi Dip-In is an annual event in which volunteers contribute to our understanding of water quality in the world.

Individuals in volunteer monitoring programs take a transparency measurement on one day during the weeks surrounding Canada Day and July Fourth. You can monitor lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, rivers, or streams, but you must already have the equipment and training. These transparency values are used to assess the transparency of volunteer-monitored lakes in the United States and Canada.

The Dip-In is open to any qualified individual in the world that monitors transparency, temperature, or pH in rivers, streams, estuaries, lakes, or reservoirs. One goal of the Dip-In is to increase the number and interest of volunteers in environmental monitoring.

Students and teachers will gain hands on experience undertaking field work led by a team of experienced scientists from CSIRO. A comprehensive website is available (teachwild.org.au) to further student learning and to provide a unique, protected environment in which students and teachers can connect with other schools across the country to share their experiences. Also, students can continue their monitoring program without the assistance of our staff.

Your school will be provided with access to the Australian Biosecurity Intelligence Network (ABIN) and our Teach Wild secure community space. This community space will be kept up to date with innovative information about marine debris.

The activities have been developed to ensure part of the key learning areas in Science, Maths and Geography in the Australian Curriculum are achieved for years 6‐12.

By 1900, Trumpeter Swans were extirpated from their nesting and wintering areas in Central and Eastern North America. Their historic migrations to southerly wintering sites were totally destroyed. In recent decades wild nesting populations of Trumpeters have been successfully restored in several northerly states and Ontario. Most swans now winter near their northern breeding areas, but an unknown number are pioneering southward where they are beginning to establish use of more southerly wintering sites.

Little is known regarding the numbers and groupings of southward migrants, the location and characteristics of the sites they are pioneering, the duration of use, or problems they may be encountering. By providing information through Trumpeter Watch, observers can help document the changing distribution of wintering Trumpeter Swans and help identify potential new southerly wintering sites.

WeSolver was created to define and address the most important problems that face human beings. It was made for everyone, a gift to the solvers in the world and anyone can help in any way they are willing to.

There will be many ways to participate in the site itself from creating, reading, promoting, linking, sharing and policing content. WeSolver will be open and transparent to everyone while respecting any individuals wish to remain anonymous should they so choose. Hopefully people will find new connections and relationships between seemingly different problems and solutions inspiring experimentation and innovative approaches.

How can we possibly solve the many problems that face us as a species without using every available asset to do so? How can we leave this work in the hands of experts or governments or any other organization to solve on their own? It would be foolish to ignore the potential solutions which come when everyone is invited to the table. Our common future depends on it.

Reef Watch provides free training to community volunteers to monitor temperate marine environments using non-destructive, internationally recognised techniques.

Volunteers generate valuable scientific data that informs adaptive management for conservation of the marine environment.

Reef Watch engages and empowers the community through education, which raises awareness about the marine environment and fosters a sense of stewardship that is vital to the long-term health of marine environments.

Creek Watch is an iPhone application created by IBM Research that enables you to help monitor the health of your local watershed. Whenever you pass by a waterway, spend a few seconds using the Creek Watch application to snap a picture and report how much water and trash you see. We aggregate the data and share it with water control boards to help them track pollution and manage water resources. You can use the map on the left to explore the data that people have contributed, or see recent contributions as a table.

The Creek Watch App uses four pieces of data:

The amount of water: empty, some, or full.
The rate of flow: still, moving slowly, or moving fast.
The amount of trash: none, some (a few pieces), or a lot (10 or more pieces).
A picture of the waterway.

This data helps watershed groups, agencies and scientists track pollution, manage water resources, and plan environmental programs.

Creek Watch is a project developed at IBM Research - Almaden in consultation with the California State Water Resources Control Board's Clean Water Team.

The iPhone application is now available free on the iTunes store, so you can get started contributing data!

If you are a SCUBA diver, we ask that you send us data logged by your dive computer, so we can put it to scientific use! Millions of divers dive all around the world everyday, with state-of-the-art dive computers that log temperature as a function of depth. As a citizen scientist scuba diver, you can help put this information to the use of oceanographers and marine scientists. Send us your dive site location & an export of your dive computer log; or just write up in an email the information you record in your logbook (like surface temperature, bottom temperature, date, time, location, dive computer brand)!

The goal of this project is to channel temperature & location data from divers to scientists. The data collected will be processed by graduate students and will be made available online on our website for anyone to download.

Bonaire National Marine Park needs your help to control the invasion of Lionfish. Volunteers in the Netherlands Antilles gently attach a marker on dead coral in the immediate vicinity of the Lionfish.

The Indo Pacific Lionfish Pterois volitans/miles is a predatory, venomous fish which has been introduced as an invasive species in the Atlantic Basin. This invasive carnivore can significantly reduce biodiversity of a local habitat and can drive important fish species to extinction, negatively affecting coral reef ecosystems.

WARNING: This project is potentially dangerous. Most of the fish's spines are venomous and can cause extreme pain!

STE - Scuba Tourism for the Environment is aimed at obtaining information on the Red Sea marine biodiversity state, by collaborating with volunteer dive tourists.

In this way the research can provide the institutions with tools to implement conservation and preservation measures, and at the same time it contributes to the development of ecotourism in the area, providing the tourists with a discerning, active and useful way to increase their naturalistic awareness and recreational value of their holidays.

LiMPETS (Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students) is an environmental monitoring and education program for students, educators, and volunteer groups. This hands-on program was developed to monitor the ocean and coastal ecosystems of California’s National Marine Sanctuaries to increase awareness and stewardship of these important areas.

Two distinct monitoring programs make up the core of the LiMPETS network: the Rocky Intertidal Monitoring Program and the Sandy Beach Monitoring Program. Both programs are designed to provide students with the opportunity to experience the scientific process firsthand. Through research-based monitoring and standardized protocols, students develop their problem solving skills, gain experience using tools and methods employed by field scientists, and learn to analyze data. The online data entry system allows our participants to archive their data electronically and to view and analyze their results over time.

The LiMPETS network provides authentic, hands-on coastal monitoring experiences that empower teachers, students and the community to conduct real science and serve as ocean stewards.

The ECOCEAN Whale Shark Photo-identification Library is a visual database of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) encounters and of individually catalogued whale sharks. The library is maintained and used by marine biologists to collect and analyse whale shark encounter data to learn more about these amazing creatures.

The Library uses photographs of the skin patterning behind the gills of each shark and any scars to distinguish between individual animals. Cutting-edge software supports rapid identification using pattern recognition and photo management tools.

You too can assist with whale shark research by submitting photos and sighting information. The information you submit will be used in mark-recapture studies to help with the global conservation of this threatened species.

MySwan is a citizen science project for people who love swans. Just record your black swan sighting on the interactive map, and you can make a valuable contribution to research on the behavior and movement of swans.

After you submit your sighting, you'll get an instant report about the swan, with interesting information about its history and recent movements.

BeeSpotter needs volunteers to go outside with a camera and capture quality pictures of bees.

Researchers at the University of Illinois are trying to better understand bee demographics in the state of Illinois, and they can't do it without your help. Your data will become part of a nationwide effort to gather baseline information on the population status of these insects.

BeeSpotter is a partnership between citizen scientists and the professional science community. The project is designed to educate the public about pollinators by engaging them in a data collection effort of importance to the nation.

Get a snapshot of the health of the Boise River watershed by monitoring water quality! Citizen groups, schools, families, and individuals are invited to participate in this fun event which takes place at numerous sites along the Boise River and tributaries from Lucky Peak to Star. No experience necessary! A knowledgeable trainer will meet you at your assigned location to assist with monitoring.

The American Oystercatcher Banding project needs citizen scientists to report the location, color, and type of bands observed on American Oystercatchers.

American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) are striking black and white shorebirds with large reddish-orange bills. Oystercatchers breed on coastal beaches from Baja California to Nova Scotia. Recent evidence of population declines, particularly in the Southeastern U.S., has prompted research aimed at understanding the bird's biology and conservation needs.

Color banding individual birds helps researchers learn about movement, habitat requirements, and survival, but only if people observe and report the locations of banded birds.

You can help!

This proposed nutrient survey of the Mississippi River watershed seeks to glean a better understanding of the distribution of inorganic nutrient sources into the Mississippi River.

By conducting this study, we seek to identify 'hot spots' within which to target follow-up research and engineering efforts aimed at decreasing the load of nutrients introduced into this river - and in so doing, successfully mitigate their consequent effect upon the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources coastal shark survey monitors the populations of our resident shark species. We need volunteers to come out on the boat with us to help catch, measure, tag, and release sharks. Participants must be 18 or older, must not get seasick, and must be ok being out on the water all day in a boat that has no shade or bathroom. We leave from Charleston, SC.

Wildlife Health Event Reporter (WHER) is an online, experimental reporting system for reporting and sharing the sightings of sick or dead wildlife.

Individual reports viewed together can lead to the detection and containment of wildlife disease outbreaks that may pose a health risk to people, domestic animals and other wildlife. For smart phone users, the HealthMap mobile phone application, Outbreaks Near Me, is also available. It captures the same information that the web-based WHER application collects and allows users to upload photos. WHER hopes to harness the power of the many eyes of the public to better detect wildlife disease phenomenon.

Additionally, WHER was developed by the Wildlife Data Integration Network (WDIN), a program of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in partnership with the USGS National Wildlife Health Center.

The Master Watershed Steward program trains citizens across the state of Arizona to serve as volunteers in the protection, restoration, monitoring, and conservation of their water and watersheds.

We all live in a watershed, also known as a drainage basin or catchment. Each watershed is defined by an area of land that drains water downhill into a common water body. The health of watersheds is especially impacted as our growing population, and thus our demand for natural resources, increases. Learning to look past political boundaries and view land as divided by natural boundaries helps us better manage resources as a complete, more sustainable system.

As a Master Watershed Steward you can help to improve the health of your watershed. The project's informative, research-based training will give you the knowledge to make better, more informed decisions related to your own land, community and watershed. Master Watershed Stewards are highly trained volunteers working closely with the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Stewards may come from a variety of backgrounds, but all have a passion for our environment! To become certified, Master Watershed Stewards participate in over 40 hours of course and field work to learn the basics of watershed science.

You work with community organizations including watershed partnerships and various state agencies to implement projects throughout Arizona to monitor, maintain and restore the health of our watersheds. Ongoing volunteer projects include: photopoint monitoring in the Tonto National Forest and Saguaro National Park, riparian assessments along urban and preserved corridors, outreach at Arizona Project WET Water Festivals, free private well testing and collaboration with NEMO to develop Watershed Based Plans.

The Master Watershed Steward Program is a partnership of the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Funding provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Water Act and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality's Water Quality Division.

FrogWatch USA Chapters are overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and are hosted and managed by zoos, aquariums, and like-minded organizations.

At a training session hosted by a local chapter, volunteers will learn to identify local frog and toad species by their calls during the breeding season and how to report their findings accurately. By mastering these skills, volunteers gain increased experience and control over asking and answering scientific questions which, in turn, augments science literacy, facilitates conservation action and stewardship, and increases knowledge of amphibians.

The International Sea Turtle Observation Registry is a database of sea turtle sightings to help sea turtle biologists and conservations track and understand the distribution of sea turtles around the world. You can help!

When you see a live turtle, please report it to the registry. Data will be made available to scientists and managers to improve the understanding of our marine environment.

The North Carolina Sea Turtle Project trains volunteers to monitor sea turtle activity along the entire coast of North Carolina.

There are a number of ways that your citizen science efforts can help protect sea turtles in North Carolina. Volunteers are needed to:

- walk small sections of beach each morning from May to August to look for turtle tracks and nests
- help guard the nests as they become ready to hatch each evening from July to October
- respond to strandings
- transport injured turtles to rehabilitation centers

All the data collected by the project are organized and disseminated to the state and federal agencies that use the information to make management decisions.

The North Carolina Sea Turtle Project, run by the state Wildlife Resources Commission's Division of Wildlife Management, is committed to monitoring North Carolina's sea turtle population. The project would not be possible without the help of hundreds of volunteers!

CitSci.org is a platform that supports a variety of citizen science programs using a centralized database to store and deliver science data, with a focus on community based monitoring programs. This platform allows program coordinators to create their own projects and datasheets, manage members, define measurements, create analyses, and even write feedback forms.

Seabird Ecological Assessment Network (SEANET) volunteers conduct beached bird surveys along the east coast of the United States in order to identify and record information about bird mortality. Volunteers examine the spatial pattern of bird carcass deposition and how it varies across time.

The project brings together interdisciplinary researchers and citizen scientists in a long-term collaborative effort to identify and mitigate threats to marine birds.

These surveys provide baseline information about bird mortality and help to detect mass mortality events such as oil spills, algal toxins, and disease outbreaks. Marine birds can serve as indicators of ecosystem and human health; monitoring the threats they face and their mortality patterns can teach us about the health of the marine environment.

This project relies heavily on a working partnership between concerned citizens with an incomparable understanding of local ecosystems and natural phenomena, and scientists with the training and knowledge to synthesize and verify the data generated by local residents. Through this synergistic relationship, scientists exponentially increase the amount and range of data they can access, and residents come to see the larger patterns and trends of which their local ecosystem is a part.

New Jersey Audubon Shorebird Survey needs volunteers to count shorebirds and record information about their behavior in the New Jersey meadowlands.

The survey is aimed at assessing status and changes in populations of shorebirds. The data collected by volunteers will be incorporated into the national database of the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring, whose overall goal is to monitor trends in shorebird populations.

In addition, the information will help identify areas important to southbound shorebirds, and define shorebird management goals for New Jersey.

New Jersey residents: don't miss this chance to make a difference!

The Acoustics Research Centre at the University of Salford is building a sound map of the world as part of a new study into how sounds in our everyday environment make us feel. We need your help!

We’re asking people across the world to use our new iOS app on their iPhones or iPads (or any recorder) to record short clips from different sound environments, or "soundscapes"--anything from the inside of a family car to a busy shopping centre. Then we ask volunteers to comment on their soundscapes and upload them to our virtual soundscape map.

Recordings and responses will be analyaed by acoustic scientists, and significant findings will be reported on this website.

Sound Around You aims to raise awareness of how our soundscape influences us, and could have far reaching implications for professions and social groups ranging from urban planners to house buyers.

The Bird Conservation Network Census needs citizen scientists to record bird distribution and abundance information for birds in the Chicago region.

Bird monitors can participate at different levels:

- If you have a special interest in a particular site, you can become a regular monitor at that site and keep a year-round watch on the birds that nest, winter, or migrate through that site.

- You may help track changes in nesting populations by conducting point count surveys during the breeding season.

- You may visit a site during the nesting season and record numbers and species of birds just as you would on a Christmas Count.

- If you do not have the time to become a regular site monitor, you can still contribute your sightings.

The Bird Conservation Network has created a set of standardized methods for studying the birds of the Chicago Wilderness region. These methods can serve a variety of research purposes while also allowing birders to participate at different levels of intensity. Participants commit to making five or more visits to the site each year with at least two of those visits coming during breeding season (June). Also, participants should be able to recognize Illinois birds by sight and sound. By general rule, a birder should have about at least three years of experience with field identification of birds in the Illinois area.

The goals of this study are to generate a general picture of bird distribution in the region, to collect data to assist land managers and conservation planners in decision making, and to create a database compatible with other types of habitat data being gathered in the region which can be used by researchers investigating specific ecosystem questions. If you are an avid birder at a Chicago Park District nature area, you are encouraged to become a bird monitor.

Volunteer birdwatchers with the Puget Sound Seabird Survey gather valuable data on wintering seabird populations in the Puget Sound. The project is organized by the Seattle Audubon Society.

During monthly winter surveys from October to April, volunteers identify and count birds from the Puget Sound shoreline using a protocol designed by leading seabird researchers. Volunteers count all species of coastal seabirds including geese, ducks, swans, loons, grebes, cormorants, gulls, terns, and alcids. These data will be used to create a snapshot of seabird density on more than three square miles of nearshore saltwater habitat.

Puget Sound Seabird Survey is the only land-based, multi-month survey in the central or south Puget Sound.

Volunteers are needed to help the South Yuba River Citizens League, based in Nevada City, California, collect monthly water quality data at 45 different sites in the Yuba Watershed.

We are the leading regional advocates for creating resilient human and natural communities throughout the greater Yuba River basin by restoring creeks and rivers, regenerating wild salmon populations, and inspiring and organizing people—from the Yuba’s source to the sea—to join in our movement for a more wild and scenic Yuba River.

We train participants to use pH and conductivity meters and to conduct dissolved oxygen titrations in the field in order to collect information on the health of their rivers and streams. We also offer volunteers the opportunity to be involved in other monitoring activities, including health assessments of meadows, sampling of benthic macroinvertebrate and algae, surveys of river vegetation, and temperature logging.

The Coral Reef Monitoring Data Portal is a new tool designed to support, enhance, and widen the scope of existing monitoring efforts in Hawaii. The data portal was developed and is managed by the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL). It was created in partnership with and in support of community-based monitoring programs coordinated by the State of Hawaii DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources, the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Aquanimity Now, the Digital Bus, Project S.E.A.-Link, and other local organizations and agencies, through funding obtained from the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

According to CORAL’s Hawaii Field Manager Liz Foote, “We wanted to develop a 'one-stop-shop' for community based coral reef 
monitoring in Hawaii. This site was developed in support of current efforts such 
as the University of Hawaii Botany Department and Division of Aquatic Resources' herbivore grazing protocols, and the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National 
Marine Sanctuary's water quality monitoring program. This online data entry and 
reporting system will greatly expand the scope and impact of these monitoring 
efforts, and the associated resources provided on the site will empower and equip 
many more community members to get involved.”

BEACH volunteers monitor high-risk Washington state beaches for bacteria. Beaches are considered high-risk when they have a lot of recreational users and are located near potential bacteria sources.

Monitoring can indicate pollution from sewage treatment plant problems, boating waste, malfunctioning septic systems, animal waste, or other sources of fecal pollution. BEACH volunteers monitor for an indicator bacteria called "enterococci." The presence of this bacteria at elevated levels means there is a potential for disease-causing bacteria and viruses to also be present.

BEACH is intended to reduce the risk of disease for people who play in saltwater. The program strives to educate the public about the risks associated with polluted water and what each of us can do to reduce that risk.

UPDATE: As for December 2012, the project is not accepting new volunteers.

State of the Oyster Study volunteers help monitor bacterial contamination levels in edible shellfish collected from privately owned Washington state beaches in Hood Canal and throughout Puget Sound

Volunteers collect oyster and clam samples from their beaches at specific times during summer months. Washington Sea Grant arranges for laboratory testing of these samples, which are analyzed for the presence of harmful bacteria or for bacterial indicators of fecal contamination. (Volunteers must cover the lab fees.) Washington Sea Grant then helps participants interpret their test results and, if needed, works closely with them to identify and remedy the sources of observed contamination.

Through the years, State of the Oyster has has helped waterfront residents on more than 300 Washington state beaches learn what makes for safer oysters and clams and how to minimize fecal contamination in their waters.

Based in Australia, Seagrass-Watch recruits volunteers around the world to assess and monitor this ocean plant, which is an important indicator of the health of coastal environments. The project has participants at some 259 sites across 17 countries.

Working with a local coordinator, participants collect quantitative data on seagrasses and their associated fauna by means of simple, yet scientifically rigorous monitoring techniques. At least one participant at each monitoring event must have passed a Seagrass-Watch training course or have a degree (or similar) in environmental/marine science and be able to demonstrate competency in Seagrass-Watch methods and protocols. The information collected is used to assist the management of coastal environments and to prevent significant areas and species being lost.

Seagrasses, the only flowering plants that can live underwater, are the main diet of dugongs and green turtles, and provide a habitat for many, smaller marine animals, some of which, like prawns and fish, are commercially important. They also absorb nutrients from coastal run-off and stabilize sediment, helping to keep the water clear.

The Seagrass-Watch program has a simple philosophy of involving those who are concerned, and includes collaboration/partnerships between community, qualified scientists, and data users, such as environment management agencies.

COASST is a network of citizen scientists that monitor marine resources and ecosystem health at 300 beaches across northern California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.

Team volunteers pledge to survey their beach every month. In return, the COASST office pledges to put all of the data together, decipher the patterns across the entire survey range, and give that information back out to volunteers and the communities.

COASST believes that the citizens of coastal communities are essential scientific partners in monitoring marine ecosystem health. By collaborating with citizens, natural resource management agencies, and environmental organizations, COASST works to translate long-term monitoring into effective marine conservation solutions.

The Harbor Porpoise Monitoring Project needs volunteers for observations and surveys at locations near Anacortes, Whidbey Island, and San Juan Island, Washington.

The historic range of the harbor porpoise has diminished dramatically in the last 60 years. Surveys of the population are done infrequently and there is inadequate data on the current status of the population.

Participants will help in assessing the feasibility of using passive acoustic monitoring devices to track population status and trends of this species. This may include land-based animal observations and/or handling instruments from a boat.

The Hudson River Estuary Program and Scenic Hudson are working with citizen scientists to monitor herring and American eel in Ulster County's Black Creek Preserve.

Herring volunteers will observe the creek to see if, where, and when spawning runs occur. Those interested in eels will use nets and trap devices to catch juvenile glass eels, which are counted, weighed, and released unharmed.

Data may help biologists discover why populations of these important fish are declining.

Shark Trust is building a database of shark sightings across the ocean.

Submitting your sightings not only lets you share with the world the animals you have seen, but it also generates important data for researchers and conservationists working with sharks, skates and rays around the world. Your sightings will contribute to our understanding of many species, providing some of the best available data for their management, helping ensure a sustainable future for sharks, skates and rays.

Sightings submitted to Shark Trust will have many potential uses – from learning about the different colour morphologies of skates and rays around the British coast, to understanding the size of whale shark populations around the world. Any sighting or catch of wild elasmobranchs can be submitted to this database. The information is frequently used in not-for-profit decision-making, education, research, environmental and other public-benefit purposes.

The Cape Cod Osprey project seeks to map and track all of the Osprey nests on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Since 2008 we have mapped over 220 nest locations, many more than were thought to exist on the Cape. Using our network of volunteers we have collected productivity data (number of chicks fledged/pair) on up to 140 nests. We are looking for volunteers to help monitor nesting behavior of ospreys and help us map new nest locations.

Have you seen a jellyfish on the beach? Report it to Jellywatch -- a public database documenting ocean conditions. We are especially interested in jellyfish washing up, but we also track red tides, squid and mammal strandings, and other indicators of ocean health.

All the data and images that are submitted are freely and instantly available for bulk download, so students, teachers, and scientists can conduct their own research using information gathered from around the globe.

The Reef Volunteer Fish Survey allows volunteer SCUBA divers and snorkelers to collect and report information on marine fish populations as well as selected invertebrate and algae species along the West Coast of the US and Canada. Keep track of the fish you see while scuba diving or snorkeling. Submit those to an online database.

This is a worldwide program for:
Pacific Coast
Tropical Eastern Pacific
Tropical Western Atlantic
Hawaii
NE US and Canada

The Juvenile Lobster Monitoring Program is a community-based research program that aims to measure the health and productivity of lobster nursery habitats over space and time. The project measures the abundance and distribution of juvenile lobsters and uses marking and recapture techniques to investigate growth rates and survival.

Program scientists have developed a set of rigorous training tools to teach volunteers how to census lobsters at nursery grounds in the lower intertidal zone. The census data collected by volunteers are extremely valuable as indicators of lobster fishery health because the juvenile lobsters of today represent the catches of tomorrow.

Anyone with the time and inclination (and a good pair of boots!) can participate in this program. It's easy and it's fun. Involving volunteers of different age groups and backgrounds aids in community building and provides public access to scientific research and knowledge. This project can thereby help to bridge the gap between science and the public through hands-on training and accessible learning.

World Water Monitoring Day is an international program that encourages citizen volunteers to monitor their local water bodies. An easy-to-use test kit enables everyone from children to adults to sample local water bodies for basic water quality parameters: temperature, acidity (pH), clarity (turbidity), and dissolved oxygen.

Though World Water Monitoring Day is officially celebrated on September 18, the monitoring window is extended to cover the period from March 22 (World Water Day) until December 31. Participants are encouraged to make their observations at anytime within that extended window.

The results of current and past studies are shared with participating communities around the globe through the organization's online Data & Reports page.

ReefBase gathers available knowledge about coral reefs into one information repository. It is intended to facilitate analysis and monitoring of coral reef health and the quality of life of reef-dependent people, and to support informed decisions about coral reef use and management.

A great part of the coral reef resources in the world are in danger of destruction due to over exploitation, degradation of habitat, and changes in global climate. Globally, the resulting loss of income from fisheries is estimated to be billions of dollars a year and affects many millions of people. With this in mind, ReefBase has the following goals:

- Improve sharing and use of data, information, and knowledge in support of research and management of coral reef resources.
- Be the first place where scientists, managers, other professionals, as well as the wider public go for relevant data, information, publications, literature, photos, and maps related to coral reefs.
- Provide free and easy access to data and information on the location, status, threats, monitoring, and management of coral reef resources in over 100 countries and territories.

FishBase is an information system with key data on the biology of all fishes. The information will be used to create up-to-date distribution maps to assist in monitoring trends in biodiversity.

Divers, anglers, aquarists, and researchers can create their personal or institutional databases of where and when they have seen, caught, or acquired a particular fish. Biodiversity managers can create national fish biodiversity databases to keep track of local regulations and uses. Anthropologists can create a database on local knowledge about fish.

Similar to an encyclopedia, FishBase offers different things for different people. Fishery managers, teachers and students, taxonomists, conservationists, policymakers, research scientists, funding agencies, zoologists and physiologists, ecologists, geneticists, and the fishing industry, anglers, and scholars will find more than 100,000 common names of fishes together with the language/culture in which they are used and comments on their etymology.

Earthdive is a global citizen science project that calls on recreational scuba divers and snorkelers to monitor the ocean for key indicator species.

When you participate in Earthdive, your observations are recorded in a special database known as the Global Dive Log and are accessible through a clever Google mapping interface. Over time, observations are aggregated to create a Global Snapshot of the state of the world’s oceans.

In addition to being an international research project, Earthdive is also an advocacy conduit for marine conservation. Each contributor's name is added to a petition demanding action from policymakers to help protect our oceans.

Earthdive is a revolutionary new concept in citizen science and a global research project for millions of recreational scuba divers who can help preserve the health and diversity of our oceans.