Citizen Science

Helping with science research is a great way to connect with nature! The world of citizen science needs your help for projects - counting species, monitoring water and weather and more. Learn more about New England-based citizen science here!

Resources

Featured

The Great New England Cleanup
Join thousands of people around the world to celebrate Earth Day by cleaning up conservation lands, trails and more near you.
Learn More
Beach Blitz 2015: Collaborative Learning Through Citizen Engagement
Summary report of the science findings and citizen science approach used in the Beach Blitz 2015, a water quality sampling effort by the New England Sustainability Consortium.
- Citizen Science
Learn More
How to Map Invasives
Learn how to map invasive plants using EDDMaps, so your observations will contribute to a wider effort.
Learn More
NHBugs.org
An online resource for learning about and reporting sightings of invasive, non-native forest pests in New Hampshire.
- Citizen Science
- Wildlife
Learn More
Tips for Working with Citizen Science Volunteers
Tips for working with citizen science volunteers compiled by UNH Extension, Nature Groupie, and NH Sea Grant staff.
- Best Practices
- Citizen Science
Learn More

Stories

Ways To Celebrate Earth Day 2020
Wednesday, April 22, 1:30pm by Charlotte Thompson
Together, we can still have a big impact for Earth Day 2020!
Read the story
Using iNaturalist: Getting to Know Nature
Monday, April 6, 3:51pm by Charlotte Thompson
How a backyard exploration with iNaturalist as part of a "socially distant bioblitz" connected staff member Charlotte Thompson to people across the world, and ultimately, more to home.
Read the story
- Citizen Science
Bramble On: Citizen Scientists Rock Research for Rabbits
Friday, January 4, 3:34pm by Jill Ketchen
New England cottontail conservation effort brings UNH researchers and citizen scientists together
Read the story
- Citizen Science
- Wildlife
5 Ideas for Wild Winter Fun
Thursday, December 6, 1:21pm by Emily Lord
Get outside and get involved with any of these citizen science projects this winter
Read the story
- Citizen Science
- Wildlife
Citizen Science Success: City Will Close Roads for Amphibians Based on Volunteer Data
Thursday, April 26, 4:46pm by Brett Amy Thelen
A wood frog makes her way across North Lincoln Street in Keene, NG. This year, she'll have a little extra help.
Read the story
- Citizen Science
- Wildlife
Crowdsourcing Storm Damage to Trails
Wednesday, January 31, 5:31pm by Andrew Welsh
Volunteers stepped up to help assess the damage in the White Mountain National Forest
Read the story
- Citizen Science
- Trails
Why I Go Out on Warm, Rainy Nights
Saturday, January 6, 10:55am by Kathy Schillemat
A volunteer's own words on why she helps shepherd salamanders to safety each spring.
Read the story
- Citizen Science
- Wildlife
Stewardship tool library breaks barriers
Tuesday, November 7, 11:46am by Malin Clyde
Borrow stewardship tools for free from a new Seacoast, NH-based library
Read the story
Report that Rabbit
Tuesday, October 17, 11:54am by Larry Clow
NH Rabbit Reports seeks rabbit sightings from citizen scientists
Read the story
- Citizen Science
- Wildlife
BioBlitz Volunteers Found Hundreds of Species
Tuesday, October 3, 12:17pm by Linda Schier
Dozens of students and over 40 community members identified and mapped plant and animal species at the Province Lake Golf Course
Read the story
- Citizen Science
10 Cool Ideas from the Citizen Science 2017 Conference
Friday, August 4, 12:58pm by Malin Clyde
Extension staff share their favorite citizen science ideas from the Citizen Science conference in St. Paul, MN
Read the story
- Citizen Science
In Search of Rare Plants
Tuesday, January 3, 4:08pm by Emily Lord
22% of New England’s native plants are rare or deemed historic. These volunteers give their time to help conserve and promote native plants.
Read the story
- Citizen Science
Volunteers Put Science into Action for Stream Restoration
Friday, October 21, 11:40am by Emily Lord
In early October, volunteers gathered in Swanzey, New Hampshire to put the finishing touches on a stream restoration project that put citizen science into action.
Read the story
New Research Shows Place Matters in Citizen Science
Tuesday, September 27, 12:08pm by Malin Clyde
Malin Clyde, Project Manager for the Network, co-authors a new paper about citizen science in the Journal of Biological Conservation
Read the story
- Citizen Science
A Summer to Remember
Friday, August 12, 1:55pm by Megan Verfaillie
Summer intern Megan Verfaillie shares some of her most memorable moments from the 2016 summer.
Read the story
- Citizen Science
- Other Stewardship
From Watchers to Catchers
Friday, July 29, 1:43pm by Megan Verfaillie
Summer intern Megan Verfaille's take on the UNH Storm Watchers project.
Read the story
- Citizen Science
- Other Stewardship
Keeping the "Great" in the Great Bay
Friday, June 24, 11:49am by Megan Verfaillie
Summer intern Megan Verfaillie shares her experience working on water quality in Great Bay.
Read the story
- Citizen Science
- Other Stewardship
Listening for Bats: 2015 NH Bat Survey Results
Friday, March 4, 9:59am by Laura Deming
Citizen scientists help generate data that is essential for researchers and managers in their efforts to protect bat species.
Read the story
- Citizen Science
- Wildlife
When Nature's Calendar Changes, Citizen Scientists Can Help
Friday, January 8, 10:26am by Alyson Eberhardt
We all have an intuitive sense of phenology. What does that mean and how can we take a closer look at these subtle changes?

Read the story
- Best Practices
- Citizen Science
News from the Field: A Day with the Coastal Research Volunteers
Monday, November 23, 12:28pm by Emily Lord
Could I be a citizen scientist? A newbie spends the morning with the Coastal Research Volunteers and gets a taste for what citizen science is all about.
Read the story
- Citizen Science
Fish Survey: Adventures in Citizen Science at Lubberland Creek
Monday, October 26, 12:46pm by Haley Andreozzi
A mammal-enthusiast spends the day helping to research fish for a stream in need
Read the story
- Citizen Science
Nature-Based Volunteering: What Gives?
Monday, October 5, 1:46pm by Malin Clyde
Why do people volunteer for the environment? We're asking people who help at workdays, and learning what motivates people to give back.
Read the story
- Citizen Science
Beach Blitz Volunteers Provide a Water Quality Snapshot of New Hampshire Beaches
Tuesday, September 8, 8:15am by Evelyn Jones, Trina Lafata
New Hampshire’s beautiful and highly rated 13 mile slice of the Atlantic coast is a popular vacation destination in New England. So how clean are its coastal beaches?
Read the story
- Citizen Science
Interest in Citizen Science Growing Rapidly Among Researchers and Volunteers
Thursday, June 4, 3:01pm by Ellen Snyder
Count migrating eels in coastal rivers, document flowering and fruiting times of alpine plants
Read the story
- Citizen Science

Citizen Science

Gulls of Appledore
January 1–December 31
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
Northern Essex Community College
Winter Water Quality Monitoring on Squam
January 1–February 28
New Hampshire
Squam Lakes Association
Ossipee Pine Barrens Fire Effects
January 1–November 1
New Hampshire
The Nature Conservancy, New Hampshire Chapter
New Hampshire Big Tree Program
January 1–December 31
New Hampshire
UNH Cooperative Extension
New Hampshire Rabbit Reports
January 1–December 31
New Hampshire
UNH Cooperative Extension
Southern Maine Beach Profile Monitoring Program
January 1–December 31
Maine
Coastal Research Volunteers
January 1–December 31
Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire
New Hampshire Sea Grant
Treeversity
January 1–December 31
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
Vital Signs Maine
January 1–December 31
Maine
New Hampshire Wildlife Sightings Database
January 1–December 31
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Fish and Game
Mountain Watch with iNaturalist
January 1–December 31
Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont
Appalachian Mountain Club
Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS)
January 1–December 31
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
New Hampshire Winter Turkey Flock Survey
January 1–March 31
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Fish and Game
Picture Post
January 1–December 31
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
University of New Hampshire
Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMaps)
January 1–December 31
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
The University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz
February 1–April 30
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
International Rusty Blackbird Working Group
Backyard Winter Bird Survey
February 1–February 28
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Audubon
Trail Camera Monitoring of White-Tailed Deer
February 21–December 31
Massachusetts
Mass Audubon
Arnold Arboretum Tree Spotters
March 1–November 30
Massachusetts
Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
Reptile and Amphibian Reporting Program (RAARP)
March 1–September 30
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Fish and Game
Plant Conservation Volunteer Corps
March 1–September 30
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
New England Wildflower Society
Salamander Crossing Brigades
March 1–May 31
New Hampshire
Harris Center for Conservation Education
Maine Butterfly Survey
April 1–July 31
Maine
Batten Kill Watershed Invasive Plant Spotters
April 1–September 30
Vermont
Bennington County Conservation District
New Hampshire Striped Bass Survey
April 1–September 30
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Fish and Game
Maine Brook Trout Survey
April 1–September 1
Maine
Maine Audubon
Coastal Fish Ladder Monitoring
April 1–June 30
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Fish and Game
Town of Exeter Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring
April 1–September 30
New Hampshire
Vernal Pool Identification
April 1–May 30
New Hampshire
Harris Center for Conservation Education
Avian Collision Team (ACT)
April 13–June 4
Massachusetts
Mass Audubon
Marine Invader Monitoring and Information Collaborative
May 1–October 31
New Hampshire
Gundalow Company
Piping Plover Monitoring
May 1–July 31
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Fish and Game
Horseshoe Crab Survey in Great Bay
May 1–July 1
New Hampshire
Coastal Research Volunteers
New Hampshire Sugar Maple Regeneration Project
May 1–August 1
New Hampshire
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
New Hampshire Rivers Council River Runners
May 1–September 30
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Rivers Council
NH Green Crab Project
May 1–June 30
Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire
New Hampshire Sea Grant
Volunteer River Assessment Program
May 1–September 30
New Hampshire
Northeast Alpine Flower Watch
May 1–September 30
Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont
Appalachian Mountain Club
Project Nighthawk
May 1–August 31
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Audubon
Maine Wild Leek Project
May 11–July 31
Maine
University of Maine Cooperative Extension
New Hampshire Turkey Summer Brood Survey
May 15–August 31
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Fish and Game
Welch Ledges Education & Stewardship Program
June 1–September 30
New Hampshire
Margaret and H. A. Rey Center
New Hampshire Lakes Lay Monitoring Program
June 1–September 30
New Hampshire
UNH Cooperative Extension
Mountain Birdwatch
June 1–June 30
Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont
Vermont Center for Ecostudies
Upper Merrimack Monitoring Program
June 1–August 31
New Hampshire
Upper Merrimack River Local Advisory Committee
Great Bay Oyster Conservationist Program
June 1–October 30
New Hampshire
The Nature Conservancy, New Hampshire Chapter
Mountain Birdwatch
June 1–June 30
Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont
Vermont Center for Ecostudies
NH Bat Counts
June 1–July 30
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Fish and Game
Earthwatch Expeditions at Acadia National Park
July 1–October 30
Maine
Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park
Maine Loon Project
July 1–July 31
Maine
Maine Audubon
Asian Longhorned Beetle Pool Survey
July 1–August 31
New Hampshire
NH Bugs
New Hampshire Loon Census
July 1–July 31
New Hampshire
Loon Preservation Committee
NH Green Crab Project
August 1–October 30
Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire
New Hampshire Sea Grant
Christmas Bird Count
December 1–January 31
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
National Audubon Society
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Detective
January 1–December 31
New Hampshire
UNH Cooperative Extension & NH Division of Forests and Lands
Jumping Worm Reporters
January 1–December 31
Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont
BeBop Labs Tick Inventory
May 1–October 31
New Hampshire
International Monarch Monitoring Blitz
July 24–August 2
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
Dover Tree Inventory
August 1–August 31
New Hampshire
Strafford Regional Planning Commission
Chronolog Photo Monitoring
January 1–June 30
Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont
Chronolog
Climate Change Observatory Network: Help Document Change Over Time
January 1–December 31
Maine
Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative
February Snow Chase
February 1–February 15
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont
CSO and Appalachian Mountain Club