We are scientists at The California Academy of Sciences and UC Berkeley looking to explore the insect diversity in California’s backyards. We are starting a new collaborative citizen science project after seeing the results from our pilot pool in Marin County. We found 4 new genera of wasps and many other rare insects. And there are still many more insects to identify! Although the samples collected have received only cursory analysis, the results are already eye-opening.

This is why we are now looking for your help! We were so excited by these preliminary results that we wanted to expand to more homes all around California. For the Backyard Biodiversity Projects we are specifically looking for homeowners in California who have backyard swimming pools to assist us with the collection of insect samples. So, if you have a pool, come be a part of this fun and easy activity for people of all ages. Join our team in discovering new species that live in your backyard!

If you want to join our team sign up at https://goo.gl/aoVyoH

For questions email us at Backyardbiodiversityproject@gmail.org

We are looking forward to hearing from you!"

The Backyard Biodiversity Project is a collaboration between UC Berkeley and the California Academy of Sciences. Our goal is to develop citizen science projects that contribute to scientific research and discovery while promoting environmental awareness and scientific literacy.

Click the "Express Interest" button on this page to instantly notify the project leader of your interest! We welcome participants of all ages, education levels, and backgrounds
Or go to our website at http://www.backyardbiodiversity.org/pools.html and click on the link to sign up