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 Spring 2023 Citizen Science event series is perfect for beginners! Join us for any of the three 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.
Measuring Light in the Night
Gather light pollution data to help Globe at Night, an international citizen science project that helps scientists understand the impact of light pollution.
Friday, March 10, 7 p.m.
Lexington Park Library
Register to attend Measuring Light in the Night
Enjoy a Star Party presented by Southern Maryland Astronomical Society (SMAS)! Part of this event will take place outdoors. Please dress appropriately. Rain date: Saturday, March 11.
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!
Saturday, March 18, 9:30 a.m.
Lexington Park Library
Register to attend Bird Watch
Our group will focus on the Celebrate Urban Birds project. Molly Moore, President of The Southern Maryland Audubon Society will take us outside to practice what we learned about observing birds. Please dress appropriately.
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
The National Audubon Society has a camp every summer in Maine. The scholarships opportunities include the following courses and dates for this year:
For teens: Mountains to Sea Birding for Teens (ages 14-17), June 25 – June 30
For teachers: Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week, July 16 – July 21
For birders & others: Field Ornithology, June 18 – June 23
Southern Maryland Audubon Society offers scholarships. The deadline is March 1.
Observing Pollinators
Identify and count the pollinators (ants, bats, bees, birds, butterflies, and more) you see outside your home, then log the data online to help scientists who are working to protect these animals who are critical to the world’s food supply. We will be participating in The Great Sunflower Project.
Saturday, May 20, 10 a.m.
Lexington Park Library
Register to attend Observing Pollinators
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)
Don’t see a topic that interests you? 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!
