Below is a list of some of the citizen science projects that are open to participants in the United States and Canada. Click on the project title to learn more.
- The Lost Ladybug Project: Adults and children can search for ladybugs and submit details on what they find.
- Bumble Bee Watch: Help scientists track North America’s bumble bee populations by submitting photos of the ones you see.
- FrogWatch USA & FrogWatch Canada: Learn to identify frog and toad calls to help monitor populations.
- iNaturalist & iNaturalist Canada: Record your sightings of plants and animals as an individual or post them to specific projects.
- IceWatch USA and IceWatch Canada: Contribute to climate change data by monitoring the freezing and thawing of your local lakes and rivers.
- Habitat Network (formerly Yard Map): Create an online map of your yard or an area in your community to learn how the area can be sustainably managed.
- North American Butterfly Association – Butterfly Counts: Join other nature lovers in one of the many butterfly counts organized throughout North America.
- Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP): Collect data on monarch larvae and butterflies, as well as milkweed plants, in your yard or local community.
- Monarch Watch Tagging Program: Assist in a North American project to collect monarch butterfly fall migration data. Participants in the US and Canada tag monarchs that they find. The project continues with participants in Mexico reporting their findings of tagged monarchs.
- Monarch Watch Monarch Calendar: A spring and fall campaign for participants to record the number of monarchs they see on observation days during the breeding season.
- Discover Life – Mothing Project: Submit your observations of moths to this project that is seeking to collect data from throughout North and South America.
- Butterflies and Moths of North America: Submit your photographic sightings of butterflies and moths which are used to create species distribution maps.
- HawkWatch International: Participate in a project at a Hawk Watch site or submit your personal raptor sightings.
- North American Bird Banding Program: Report sightings of banded birds to help scientists monitor the location and health of bird species.
- NestWatch: Observe bird nests in your yard or community to contribute to breeding bird population data.
- Project FeederWatch: Put up a bird feeder and periodically count the birds that visit from November to May.
- Hummingbirds at Home: Submit observations of hummingbirds in a selected patch.
- Christmas Bird Count: An annual count of birds from December 14 to January 5 that has been ongoing for over 100 years.
- Journey North: Open to students, teachers, and adult participants, learn to track data on seasonal changes of a wide variety of species and natural occurrences such as monarch butterflies, birds, and sunlight.
- BirdSleuth K-12: Resources are provided to educators to engage children in the study of birds and the collection of scientific data.
- Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE): Geared toward teachers, scientists, and schools, this program provides resources to engage children in scientific inquiry and environmental data collection.
USA
- Nature’s Notebook: Observe and track seasonal changes in plants and animals in your yard or your community.
- Project BudBurst: Observe plants in your yard or community as they change with the seasons.
- Climate Watch: Conduct surveys of blue-birds and nuthatches in specific locations in Jan/Feb and May/June to help researchers understand the effects of climate change on bird ranges.
- Fishbrain app: While out fishing or enjoying a day on the water, record sightings of threatened and endangered freshwater and marine species to help the US Fish & Wildlife Service conserve these at-risk species.
- Project Squirrel: Observe an area near you at least once a season and submit your sightings of grey squirrels and fox squirrels to this nationwide project.
- The Great Sunflower Project: Participate in any of their three projects to help collect data on pollinators, their habitats, and the effects that pesticides have on pollinators.
- Watch the Wild: Submit observations about weather, plants, or animals in your yard or local community.
- Air Sensor: Obtain an air sensor to collect data on air quality in your community.
- USA Volunteer Water Monitoring Network: Join other volunteers in a project near you to monitor the quality of your local water.
- Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper: Submit photos of monarchs and milkweed plants to help scientists understand their distribution in the American west.
- National Institute of Invasive Species Science (NISS): Contribute data regarding non-native plants and animals to a central database.
- US National Park Service: Contact a national park or monument located near you to find out if they offer citizen science projects.
CANADA
- Bird Studies Canada: A wide variety of bird-based citizen science projects, some of which are mentioned above.
- PlantWatch: Record data on the timing of spring blooms for selected plant species.
- WormWatch: Collect information regarding the worm species present in your area.
- Parks Canada: Take part in a citizen science monitoring project offered at Canadian national parks, or submit wildlife observations during one of their BioBlitz events.
This list is updated periodically. Do you know of an additional citizen science project that should be added to this list? If so, please comment below.
Citizen Science for Everyone 