Posts Tagged ‘Citizen Science’

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

DEC calls for volunteers to track Spotted Lanternfly in NY

The Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) is an invasive pest that had made its way over to the US From Asia which feeds on a variety of plants such as grapes, hops, and maple trees. The SLF has been discovered in multiple locations around NY but still hasn’t spread throughout most of the state. A potential pathway for the spread of SLF is its preferred host plant, called the Tree of Heaven, a tree found in many locations across NY.

New York iMapInvasives is seeking volunteers to look for SLF and TOH in your area, where you can help protect New York’s agriculture and forests by catalouging invasive species in the iMapInvasives database.

To learn more about the Spotted Lanternfly and Tree of Heaven, check out iMapInvasives website, and sign up for the “Identifying and Reporting Spotted Lanternfly and Tree of Heaven with NY iMapInvasives” webinar, available Tuesday, February 23rd from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Register online here.


Sunday, August 2, 2020

DEC Seeks Swimming Pool Owners for Citizen Science Survey of Invasive Beetle

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The early discovery of Asian Long Horned Beetle infestations saves money and trees.

State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos is encouraging the citizens of New York, especially those that own swimming pools, to engage in the DEC’s Annual Asian Long horned beetle Swimming Pool Survey.

Asian long horned beetles (ALB) emerge as adults during the late summer and become the most active outside of their host trees. The goal of this survey is to pinpoint the locations of these infestations before they cause detrimental damage to our state’s forests and trees.

» Continue Reading.


Saturday, March 10, 2018

iSeeMammals: Black Bear Citizen Science

Bear at a feeder in Marathon Ontario - Cornell Lab of OrnithologyAs I write this at my home, there’s snow on the ground. But spring is almost here. In fact, as I opened the door to leave my house this morning, I was greeted by a sure sign of spring; the patently pungent smell of skunk! And I couldn’t help but wonder if the little stinker, indeed, missed or misted its adversary.

It never ceases to amaze me how animals can spend the winter months in hibernation (deep sleep) or torpor (a state of decreased physiological activity during periods of extreme cold; light hibernation) in order to survive months of harsh weather and scarcity of food. They’re waking up now, and coming out of their dens and lairs looking for (in the case of skunks, mates and) something to eat. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, July 13, 2017

Loon Center Open House Coincides with WCS Loon Census

With its black and white markings, haunting call, and bright red eyes, the Common Loon is one the most recognizable animals in the Adirondacks. As a top aquatic predator, the loon is also an indicator of a healthy ecosystem. This year marks the 17th annual Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Loon Census, which has helped track environmental toxins, disease, climate change, and habitat loss by monitoring these iconic birds.

Though Saturday’s Loon Census is organized by WCS, the organization relies on volunteer citizen scientists to help with field work. Individuals are encouraged to sign up to monitor a specific lake by canoe or by foot to count the loons and chicks on July 15 between 8-9 am. This event, as with other Citizen Scientist projects, puts important data in front of scientists while allowing participants to learn more about loons. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, July 12, 2017

New Record Established For New York’s Breeding Bald Eagles

bald eaglesBald eagles are being seen in historic numbers across New York and the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has reported the highest number of nesting pairs, an estimated 323 breeding pairs, since the agency undertook a restoration effort in 1976. Exact estimates will be determined over the course of the breeding season as biologists compile ground reports and surveys.

A record number of 53 new nesting territories were verified in 2016, increasing the total number of breeding territories in New York State to 442. Nesting territories are areas known to be occupied by bald eagles and are the locations included in DEC survey and monitoring efforts. Of these 442 territories, 309 (70 percent) were confirmed to host breeding pairs of eagles last year. » Continue Reading.


Friday, June 9, 2017

Invasive Species Trainings in the Adirondacks

AIS-training: Volunteers are shown how to complete survey data sheets to contribute to a region-wide lake monitoring program led by APIPP's Aquatic Invasive Species Program Coordinator Erin Vennie-VollrathThe Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) is offering a series of free training sessions to help protect Adirondack woods and waters from the harmful impacts of invasive species this summer. These workshops are open to the public.

Participants can learn to identify, survey for and manage invasive species currently threatening the Adirondack region, such as Japanese knotweed and Eurasian watermilfoil, as well as those that pose significant risk to the region, but have not yet arrived, such as hydrilla and mile-a-minute weed. » Continue Reading.


Monday, June 5, 2017

LCC Seeking Cyanobacteria Monitors for the 2017 Season

cyanobacteriaThe Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) is recruiting citizens interested in water quality to serve as cyanobacteria (aka blue-green algae) monitors for Lake Champlain and select inland Vermont lakes. LCC will host training sessions in early June for new and returning monitors. The program provides critical data on where and when algae blooms are happening and is relied on by health, environmental and recreation agencies to keep people informed about lake conditions.

LCC initiated the citizen-based near-shore monitoring program in 2003 and has steadily expanded the network of trained volunteers and monitoring sites every year. During the 2016 season LCC monitors submit nearly 1,200 reports from over 100 sites on Lake Champlain and several inland lakes. The focus of the cyanobacteria monitoring program is to raise awareness of the issue, build a database of information on bloom frequency, and identify and publicize potential health hazards. » Continue Reading.


Friday, June 2, 2017

Black Bear Count Needs Citizen Scientists

American black bearHere’s an opportunity to be a scientific researcher, even if you have an English degree. New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit at Cornell University and the Department of Environmental Conservation are launching a project that enlists citizen scientists to collect data about black bears.

Using the iSeeMammals app, which you can download here, participants go on hikes and record signs of bears through photos, by setting up a fixed camera and recording information. You can create an account online or on your Apple or Android phone. » Continue Reading.


Friday, May 19, 2017

Citizen Science: Project BudBurst

Participating in various Citizen Science projects allows my family to learn about our local landscape while contributing data to long-term science research. We’ve helped with FrogWatch USA, part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, to help familiarize us with our local wetlands through the identification of frog and toad calls. We contribute to Monarch Watch, which is currently focusing on the Spring First-of-Year Sightings. This year we started tracking various plants around our area.

Started in 2007, Project BudBurst is a Citizen Science project relying on volunteers across the United States to monitor native plants at various times throughout the seasons. Participants observe and record data based on leafing, flowering, and fruiting of various plants. Those stages are called the plant phenophases, the observable stages in the plant’s annual life cycle. » Continue Reading.


Monday, May 15, 2017

Lake Placid Land Conservancy Wins Citizen Science Grant

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Land Trust Alliance have announced the award of a $20,000 New York State Conservation Partnership Program (NYSCPP) Capacity and Excellence grant to the Lake Placid Land Conservancy (LPLC) for the implementation of a conservation monitoring and outreach program. This grant follows an award in 2016 of $25,000 to develop the program.

The NYSCPP grant will enable LPLC to conduct outreach activities with its conservation partners and identify and enroll interested and qualified landowners into its citizen science monitoring program. LPLC hopes to initially enroll 8-12 landowners in the Lake Placid region over the next two years. The program will teach landowners how to monitor their property for pollinators, mammals, invasive species, birds or phenology using mobile devices. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, May 11, 2017

Saturday Is A Global Big Day For Birders

yucatan jayThe third annual Global Big Day takes place on May 13, 2017. The term traditionally applies to any effort to identify as many bird species as possible in a single day. Bird watchers around the world are invited to watch and count birds for any length of time on that day and enter their observations online at eBird.org.

“The past two Global Big Days have set back-to-back world records for the most bird species seen in a single day,” says Chris Wood at the Cornell Lab. “During last year’s Global Big Day bird watchers from more than 150 countries tallied more than 60 percent of the world’s bird species.” » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, April 4, 2017

DEC Seeks Volunteers to Monitor Streams and Rivers

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is recruiting volunteers for the 2017 summer sampling season to conduct water quality assessments in nearby streams and rivers as part of the Water Assessments by Volunteer Evaluators (WAVE) project.

WAVE data are used to augment the work of DEC’s Stream Biomonitoring Unit, which samples streams and rivers across the state to create an inventory of stream water quality. Volunteer monitors provide valuable information to assist in identifying healthy streams and flagging streams with potential water quality concerns. These data are included in federal and state water quality reports and help to target professional assessments and local restoration or conservation efforts where they are most needed. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Patches Of Dame’s Rocket Sought For Study

Dame's RocketElizabeth Lombardi, a graduate student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University, is collecting field data on plant pathogens in natural ecosystems throughout the Adirondack region, and has identified a virus in the non-native species Dame’s Rocket at several locations. Lombardi is asking the public if they cultivate this flower, or have seen it in the Adirondacks.

Wild plants, like their cultivated relatives, are susceptible to a diversity of pathogenic antagonists. Unlike crops, however, wild plants live or die by their own defenses when confronted by adversity. In recent years, there has been an uptick in scientific interest in plant epidemiology of natural systems and how environmental changes such as urbanization and global warming may alter pathogen presence wild plants. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, July 21, 2016

Visiting The Lake George Association Floating Classroom

GroupofkidswithnewlifejacketsThe Lake George Association (LGA) continues its on-water educational programing through the summer with public tours each Wednesday in July and August.

In 2009, the 40-ft catamaran-style Rosalia Anna Ashby, named for LGA member Bruce Ashby’s mother, was built specifically to further the on-water aspect of the  Lake George Association’s educational programming. The Floating classroom’s two-hour tour covers a variety of topics from earthquakes and glaciers to storm water and invasive species. » Continue Reading.


Sunday, July 10, 2016

Volunteers Sought To Survey Adirondack Loons

loonThe Wildlife Conservation Society’s Adirondack Program has announced a call for volunteers to help census loons on Adirondack lakes as part of the 16th Annual Adirondack Loon Census taking place from 8 – 9 am on Saturday, July 16.

With the help of local Adirondack residents and visitor volunteers, the census enables WCS to collect important data on the status of the breeding loon population in and around the Adirondack Park and across New York State. The results help guide management decisions and policies affecting loons.

Census volunteers report on the number of adult and immature loons and loon chicks that they observe during the hour-long census. Similar loon censuses will be conducted in other states throughout the Northeast simultaneously, and inform a regional overview of the population’s current status. » Continue Reading.



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