Project BudBurst: Citizen Science for all Seasons Sandra Henderson and Kat Bevington National Ecological Observatory Network, Boulder

Overview Citizen Science Citizen Science and Outreach Project BudBurst – overview Project BudBurst and Education

But first… a pop quiz! A.Dave, a retired postal worker regularly walks at William L. Finley NWR. He started to record the birds he observed and began submitting his lists to e-birds. B. Keneesha’s 9 th grade science teacher asked her class to adopt a local plant and note changes during the spring. Keneesha is really not interested in plants, but wants to get a good grade, so she carefully makes her observations and submits them to a national online plant phenology project. C. Jose and his neighbors are concerned with the water quality in a stream near their neighborhood. They formed a committee, worked with the Maryland DNR to get access to training and the necessary instruments to monitor the stream. Their actions resulted in changes on how the stream is managed. D. Amanda is helping astrophysicists identify new galaxies by reviewing hundreds of images using her home computer. She loves this activity and spends several hours a weeks trying to find new discoveries when her young kids are napping. E. All of the above.

Citizen Science Citizen Science is a movement to explicitly engage diverse learners in the process of science and the advancement of scientific knowledge.

Proliferation of Citizen Science Projects Internet and social media provide easy accessibility

Meeting outreach needs At the interface of science and education, Citizen Science… Makes science real by providing authentic research experiences Advances scientific learning through hands-on learning Can promote a sense of ‘ownership’ of plants/data Highlights important phenological work done on managed lands What else can you think of?

Project BudBurst: a plant phenolgy citizen science program Project BudBurst: a plant phenolgy citizen science program Individuals from all walks of life are part of this citizen science program.

Lowel Cemetery, Massachusetts What similarities & differences can you find in these two photographs? May 30, 2005 May 30, 1868

Plants respond to changes Precipitation Temperature Day length (photoperiod)) From a citizen science perspective, plants make a great focus as they are found everywhere and are relatively stationary

What is phenology? Phenology is the science that measures the timing of life cycle events (phenophases) for all organisms. Scientists who study phenology are interested in the timing of biological events as they relate to changes in season and climate. First pollen First leaf Photos courtesy of Wikipedia Commons, Paul Alaback,, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service Migration Nesting

Phenophase Example A phenophase is a distinct event in the life cycle of a plant or animal Each stage is an example of a phenophase Phenophases of Red osier dogwood through the seasons

The Japanese have been recording the timing of Cherry Blossoms since 900AD Brief History of Plant Phenology Photo courtesy of Birding New Hampshire Grape harvest dates in Switzerland have been recorded since 1480 AD In the U.S. The Lilac Network started in the 1950’s Henry David Thoreau and Aldo Leopold kept extensive phenological records that are being used today

A national network of citizen scientists monitoring plants as the seasons change to better understand changing climates. US National Park Service Botanic Gardens Strategic Partnerships National Refuge System Online and Mobile Access Continental-Scale Observations Observe Observe a plant in your community. Record Record your observation on a Single Report or Regular Report form. Submit Submit your observation on Community BudBurst Project BudBurst in a Nutshell

2016 Homepage

Just a few steps RegisterSelect Observe Submit

Single Reports

Regular Reports

Scientific Application Students can use Project BudBurst data for their own projects

Education Pages

K-12 Resources

BudBurst Buddies For younger learners, Project BudBurst offers BudBurst Buddies, a companion program that uses a story to introduce the process of observation and data collection. BudBurst Buddies pick their favorite tree or shrub to observe and describe using the “About my Plant” journal page. BudBurst Buddies visit their plant multiple times throughout the year and keep journals about their plant. BudBurst Buddies enter their data online and earn a personalized certificate after making four observations. Online resources include: Downloadable journal pages Parent/teacher resources Online games NEON | Education

Citizen Science Academy academy.org

To learn more about Project BudBurst Visit budburst.org today!

Your observations matter! None of this would be possible without you!