What is Citizen Science?
Citizen Science is ordinary people of any age gathering scientific information locally and sharing it with the global scientific community. Whether you are participating in star finding, birdwatching, sharing pictures from your backyard to help track plant and species populations, or taking a walk in your neighborhood with an air monitor, you can contribute! Citizen Science is perfect for all ages and great for family activities.
Today’s opportunities to participate in Citizen Science are boundless. Odds are there is a citizen science project that coincides with any hobby, interest or curiosity that you may have. Participating is easy! Often, you can use your mobile phone or the internet to collect and submit observations and to see results.
Our Citizen Science event series is perfect for beginners! Join us for any of the events and learn how you can participate! Events are open to all ages, from upper elementary age students to adults. Please use the “add more people” button when registering to let us know how many people will be attending.
Great Pollinator Habitat Challenge
Saturday, September 16, 10 a.m.
Lexington Park Library
Register to attend Great Pollinator Habitat Challenge
Discover the many Citizen Science projects on SciStarter, the ways bees and pollinators help our food supply, and how to participate in Great Pollinator Habitat Challenge. Susan Polsky, from The Association of Southern Maryland Beekeepers (ASMB), will instruct us on bee identification and take us outside to practice. Please dress appropriately.
Kits will be available for checkout after the event series is over, or you can build your own kit:
Activity Guide
Data Sheet
Binoculars 10×25 Compact
Stopwatch
Field Notebook
Pollinator Book, such as The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North American’s Bees
Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America’s Bees and Butterflies: the Xerces Society Guide
Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants by Heather Holm
Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Bees & Butterflies: Northeast by Jaret C. Daniels
Common Bees of Eastern North America (Princeton Field Guides #123)
Measuring Light in the Night
Friday, November 17, 7 p.m.
Lexington Park Library
Register to attend Measuring Light in the Night
Join an international project to measure night sky brightness and enjoy a Star Party! Learn about Citizen Science projects on SciStarter, effects of light pollution, and how to join the Globe at Night campaign. Also enjoy a Star Party presented by Southern Maryland Astronomical Society (SMAS).We will be going outside. Please dress appropriately. If it rains we will meet the following night on Saturday, November 18 2023.
Kits will be available for checkout after the event series is over, or you can build your own kit:
Activity Guide
Data Worksheet
Sky Quality Meter-L (SQM-L) (Do not substitute) – Hand-held meter for measuring sky brightness.
Red LED flashlight – To guide to nighttime viewing areas without disrupting user night vision or nocturnal animals who are less sensitive than humans to the red range of light.
Planisphere – Rotating star finder that helps identify constellations at any time of night during the year.
Bird Watch
Learn the many ways you can help scientists all over the world while bird-watching!
Date TBD
Kits will be available for checkout after the event series is over, or you can build your own kit:
Activity Guide
Binoculars 10×25 Compact
Apps for Identifying Birds and Recording Data – Merlin, Audubon, and ebird
Clipboard
Field Notebook
Local identification guide, such as Maryland & DC Trees & Wildflowers: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Plants (Wildlife and Nature Identification) Pamphlet
Bird Identification Book, such as Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America by Roger Tory Peterson
Books for Further Research (available in the Library catalog):
Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America by Roger Tory Peterson
Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds
The Crossley ID guide. Eastern birds by Richard Crossley
Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America by Ted Floyd
Want More Citizen Science?
Find thousands of additional projects you can participate in using the Project Finder on SciStarter. Create a SciStarter.org account to track your progress, receive personalized recommendations, learn about local events and to connect with project scientists and other citizen scientists.
Thank you to The Patuxent Partnership for supporting this series of events and the creation of kits for checkout!
