Community Science

Community science is a term used for programs that call on people — like you — to help collect data for scientists to use. Participating in a community science project provides a reason to get outside and put your observation skills to work. The added bonus? The data you collect is used by scientists for all kinds of reasons, including tracking animal migrations, learning about the impacts of climate change, and determining population shifts or range of certain species. No training is needed to participate.

Check out the community science opportunities listed below, pick one that interests you and get started today!

Nebraska-based projects

Locating eastern spotted skunks

Help the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission locate this elusive species. Different from the more common striped skunk, eastern spotted skunks are often found near abandoned farm structures.

Butterfly surveys

The goal of this project is to learn where in the state we can find our target species — regal fritillary and monarch butterflies — to better understand their relative abundance and the habitat they are using.

Nebraska’s Big Butterfly Count

Nebraska’s Big Butterfly Count is designed to determine the diversity of butterflies in Nebraska. Participants choose the location they would like to survey and record butterfly data from May through September. The results are then used to establish baseline data of the diversity of butterflies in the state, distribution of species, and help inform butterfly-related conservation.

Nebraska City Nature Challenge

The City Nature Challenge is an annual competition among cities across the globe to find and document plants and wildlife over a four-day period. The challenge usually runs from the end of April through the beginning of May at select cities in Nebraska.

Nebraska Bumblebee Atlas

The Nebraska Bumblebee Atlas is a collaborative project to track and conserve bumblebees throughout the state. The project’s goal is to gain a better understanding of the distribution of Nebraska’s native bumblebees.

National projects

Project FeederWatch

FeederWatch is a November to April survey of birds that visit feeders in backyards, nature centers, community areas and other locales in North America. Participants periodically count the birds they see at their feeders and send their counts to Project FeederWatch.

NestWatch

Watching a bird prepare a nest, lay eggs and raise its young is a fascinating, exhilarating experience. Be part of it with NestWatch. This nationwide monitoring program is designed to track when birds nest, the number of eggs laid, how many eggs hatch and how many hatchlings make it out of the nest.

Budburst

Budburst brings together researchers and community scientists to track plants and phenology — the study of natural cycles. These observations are used to better understand how plant species and ecosystems respond to changes in climate locally, regionally and nationally.

Great Backyard Bird Count

During this popular community science event, people from all over the world head outdoors to count birds. In backyards, local parks or state parks, participants watch and record which birds they see and what the birds are doing. This information, when entered on the website, is used by scientists to track the health of bird populations.

Journey North

This large community science website has multiple projects aimed at tracking animal migrations, weather patterns and phenology — the study of natural cycles, such as when flowers bloom in the spring or when birds migrate north. From butterflies to barn swallows and seasons to sunlight, Journey North has a community science project for everyone.

eBird

eBird aims to track bird sightings to create a large database. The data is used not only by scientists, but also to create bird watching resources such as checklists, personal online lists and identification tools.

Global projects

GLOBE Observer

GLOBE Observer is an international community science initiative to understand our global environment. Observations help scientists track changes in clouds to help support climate research. Additionally, scientists use data to verify NASA satellite data.