Citizen Science in STL City
Citizen Science
You can be a scientist too! In most instances there is little to no training required, so even without a science background, you can make meaningful contributions to science. Citizen Science is a great way to get outdoors and help contribute to science's greater fund of knowledge by gathering data. It frequently involves some sort of technology, usually an app, to send data to scientists. Don't worry, the data isn't long spreadsheets of numbers, it is usually pictures or recordings of things you see and hear in nature.
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There are several citizen science programs throughout the St. Louis area:
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iNaturalist: is an app and website that allows you to import photos and sounds to help map observations of biodiversity. Within this app there are different projects. For the St. Louis area BiomeSTL is a citizen science project to gather data of the biodiversity of Metro St. Louis.
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eBird: is similar to iNaturalist, but with a focus on birds. Created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, eBird keeps track of your bird lists, photos, and sounds to help build a database of migration, birding hotspots, and learn needs of different species
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MonarchWatch: has several options including a tagging program and recording observations of tagged monarchs, they give away free milkweed, and offer a lot of resources.
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Missouri Stream Team Water Quality Monitoring (WQM): Educates citizens about stream health, establishes a water quality monitoring network and generates WQM data that can be used by the state to assess cleanups or mitigation.
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SciStarter: aims to enhance the citizen science experience by making it easier for participants to find citizen science projects in their area and tracking volunteer hours.
Urban Birding and Nature Photography in STL
Urban Birding
Urban birding is quickly becoming a popular past time. Urban environments can offer a unique habitat that provides for a wide variety of bird species that is lacking in some rural areas.
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Below, you'll find links to birding tips, bird guide apps, and videos to help you begin birding by ear. Spring is a great time to begin birding by ear, as it is the breeding season for many birds and when they are the most vocal.
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Learn to Identify backyard birds by ear with these videos. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a lot of good resources for identifying birds. In the Bird Song Hero video, you will learn to visualize bird songs to help memorize them.
Nature Photography in STL City
Nature photography does not require vast expanses of pristine habitat. The intersection of nature and man-made structures offers an interesting perspective of life growing through the cracks and highlights how species have adapted to live in these environments.
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Your urban nature photography can serve double duty when you add photos to citizen science projects. Using the hashtag #STLCityNature can connect your photos with others in the St. Louis area.
Orbweaver in the family Araneidae in it's web with city lights behind.
Mushrooms growing next to a street tree on Washington Avenue.
Orbweaver in the family Araneidae in it's web with city lights behind.