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About Citizen Science Citizen Science is a partnership between scientists and the broader community. It allows the every-day person to participate in fun and exciting research projects, and to experience the natural world in a new way. It allows the scientist to enlist a small, or in some cases, a large army of volunteers to help collect data that wouldn't be possible without the help of the community. North Branch Nature Center engages in a number of Citizen Science projects, on a local, regional, and national scale. See below for details about how to get involved in Citizen Science through NBNC. Citizen Science Through the Seasons Winter Spring
Summer
Fall The CBC is a nation-wide citizen science project of the Audubon Society which has just completed its 108th year of operation. Director Chip Darmstadt now compiles the Plainfield CBC, in which North Branch staff and members have participated for many years. The CBC takes place between December 14 and January 5 every year. Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) The GBBC is another nation-wide project, and is a joint project of the Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This event takes place over an extended weekend in February. NBNC has participated in this event with a teen birding trip. Amphibian Monitoring Program (AMP) The AMP is a project of the North Branch Nature Center which seeks to monitor amphibians as they cross roads on their annual spring migration. Data is pooled with a like-minded organization, Save the Salamanders, and is also submitted to our state herpetologist for analysis. The Peregrine Falcon has made an amazing rebound over the past few dacades, after being all but whiped out from the east coast. This program, coordinated by the National Wildlife Federation and the Vermont Department Fish and Wildlife, seeks to monitor Vermont's Peregrine Falcon population. NBNC will be monitoring a site at Marshfield Cliffs, and are happy to bring groups along. Wild Chervil is a fairly recent, and unwelcomed, arrival to the state of Vermont. By joining the Chervil Rangers, a project of the North Branch Nature Center, you can help control this invasive species, and prevent it from displacing native species. Please download a sign up sheet to learn more about becoming an NBNC Chervil Ranger! There is currently no database for bumble bee nest site preferences in North America , and this information would be valuable for conservation efforts. Athena Anderson, a doctoral student at the University of Georgia, has designed a simple survey that anyone can fill out should they find a bumble bee nest. Should you stumble upon a Bumble Bee nest, please help this research effort by completing an online survey. This annual butterfly count, an on-going, nationwide project of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA), is an event in which participants census all the butteflies they can find within a given search area. Members of the public of any experience level are invited to join NBNC staff at this event. The Montpelier BioBlitz took place on July 11 & 12, 2008 and nearly 200 scientists descended on Montpelier for a 24-hour inventory of all living things. Please visit the BioBlitz website for more information and results. Monarch Watch, a project of the Kansas Biological Survey, University of Kansas, tags Monarch butterflies as they migrate to Mexico to overwinter. For several years we have been tagging butterflies at the Nature Cener, and last fall, invited the public to join in this effort. Vermont eBird Vermont eBird is a statewide portal of an international database that collects bird observations from scientists and lay people alike. Launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, eBird provides rich data sources for basic information on bird abundance and distribution at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. By compiling the collective observations of thousands of people, eBird provides scientists with valuable data to study and birders everywhere with both a listing tool and the power to view the observations of other eBirders around the state.
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Upcoming Programs: Great Backyard Bird Count (youth program) Amphibian Monitoring Program Training Session Vermont Vernal Pool Mapping Project Training Workshop |
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