Citizen Science at Homestead National Historical Park

A ranger and a young visitor look at an insect. Image from the National Park Service's page.

What is citizen science?

Citizen science is the public taking part in scientific research as volunteers. Citizen scientists can help design experiments, collect data, analyse results and solve problems. Their work helps scientists and resource managers understand parks, and their data answer real questions. Put simply, citizen science is science.

Anyone can do it, from anywhere, at any age and with any background. All it takes is some time, curiosity and a sense of wonder.

Getting involved at Homestead

With 100 acres of restored prairie, a lowland bur oak woodland and a creek running through it, Homestead National Historical Park in Nebraska is a good place to start. There are projects on everything from stars and sedges to butterflies, trees and chorusing frogs, and SciStarter.org is a good place to search for one that interests you.

On a visit to Homestead, your observations can support two continuing projects documenting the park's birds and other species, through the eBird and iNaturalist apps for phones and computers.

eBird

eBird organises and shares the bird lists you keep. On Homestead's trails you can keep a live list in the eBird app, or, if you leave your phone behind, take written or mental notes and upload them on a computer afterwards. The park's list of bird sightings has already been started, and anyone can add to it.

iNaturalist

iNaturalist is similar but covers every kind of living thing, and relies mostly on photographs. Photos taken in the app are tagged with their location automatically, which saves time if you plan to upload many. Without a device, you can upload later, but note where each observation was made, because you will be asked.

Because identifications and species suggestions come from the photos, better pictures bring better results — so it often helps to make the observation with a phone photo and then add higher-quality pictures later. iNaturalist also lets you practise identifying species in other people's photos. When two people agree on an identification, the observation becomes "research grade," which makes it more useful to resource professionals — and identifying is a way to be in the field even when you can't be. A project to record the species of Homestead has already begun.

A ranger and a volunteer in the prairie during a BioBlitz. Credit: National Park Service.

Citizen science projects run in national parks across the country, and the park's own pages describe the animals found at Homestead.

Sources

Based on "Citizen Science at Homestead National Historical Park," published by the National Park Service, Homestead National Historical Park; rewritten in hubnx's own words.