Welcome

Welcome to pnwcitsci.org! The purpose of this webpage is to highlight the many active citizen science projects in the region, connect project leaders, and share resources.

 

Mailing-list

Want to connect with other citizen science project leaders in the region? Subscribe to the mailing-list by visiting the Groups.io page (https://groups.io/g/pnwCitSci) or by emailing the subscribe email listed below:

Note that you do not need a groups.io account to subscribe.

Feel free to email the list to introduce yourself, ask questions, or share updates and resources.

 

Subgroups

Interested in working closely and collaborating regionally on the below topics? Keep an eye out for a sign-up survey coming soon!

  • Building Community in the PNW
  • 2023 PNW CitSci Summit planning group


Citizen Science

Citizen science is a term for research championed by people without formal scientific backgrounds.

Every person is a citizen of the world.

“We are curious because we all have a little bit of scientist in us. Citizen science projects provide opportunities for us to release that inner scientist.” - JM Hulbert

There are many opportunities for anyone to contribute to scientific research. For example, the University of Washington’s Center for Game Science hosts many exciting games and puzzles that provide fun ways to advance knowledge.

  • Check out Foldit or Mozak to solve helpful puzzles about protein folding or neural networks, respectively.

  • Check out OrcaSound to listen for and document interesting underwater sounds.

 

Previous Events

2022 PNW Citizen and Community Science Summit (October 20th-21st, 2022)

2022 Agenda: Google Drive or PDF)

Pacific Northwest Citizen Science - Networking Evening at Woodland Park Zoo! (May 25, 2022)

Thanks to everyone that could join us for the networking event in May to compliment the national C*Sci22 conference.

2021 PNW Citizen & Community Science Summit (October 26-27, 2021).

The event was co-organized by the Washington Invasive Species Council, Western Invasives Network, Whatcom County Amphibian Monitoring Program, Woodland Park Zoo, Washington State University and the National Park Service.

Program

The 2021 Summit featured more than 30 presentations from local projects throughout the Pacific Northwest.

2021 Summit Agenda (PDF)

Abstracts

2021 Summit Abstracts (PDF)

Thank you to everyone who submitted an abstract for the 2021 event.

Outdoor Citizen Science Projects in the Pacific Northwest

There are at least 36 outdoor citizen and community science projects in the Pacific Northwest!

Below is a list current known projects organized by geographic scope (not exhaustive, under constant revision). Please send suggested changes to JM Hulbert.

Project Scope Organization Topic Website
Thornton Creek Water Quality Citizen Science Washington, Seattle Thornton Creek Alliance Water quality https://thorntoncreekalliance.info/project/citizen-science-water-quality-efforts-on-thornton-creek/
Aurorasaurus Washington based, Global NASA Space weather https://aurorasaurus.org/
Surfrider’s Blue Water Task Force Washington & British Columbia Surfrider Foundation Water quality https://bwtf.surfrider.org
MeadoWatch Washington University of Washington Plant phenology, climate change http://www.meadowatch.org/
Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) Washington University of Washington Coastal environments, seabirds https://coasst.org/
Rare Plant Monitors and Seed Collectors Washington University of Washington Plant conservation https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/science-conservation/rarecare/volunteer/monitor/
The Snow Fly Project Washington University of Washington Entomology https://depts.washington.edu/snowflyproject/
Arbutus ARME Washington Washington State University Forest health, plant disease https://www.arbutusarme.org/
Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program Washington Washington State University Forest health, plant disease, invasive species https://ppo.puyallup.wsu.edu/plant-disease/sod-home/monitoring/streams/
Washington Invasives Washington Washington Invasive Species Council Invasive species https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/report-a-sighting/
WSG Crab Team Washington Washington Sea Grant, University of Washington Invasive species https://wsg.washington.edu/crabteam/
Amphibians of Washington Washington Woodland Park Zoo Wildlife conservation https://www.zoo.org/amphibianmonitoring
Carnivore Spotter Washington Woodland Park Zoo Wildlife conservation https://carnivorespotter.org/urban-carnivore-spotter/resources
Puget Sound Sea Bird Survey Washington Seattle Audubon Wildlife conservation https://seattleaudubon.org/get-involved/community-science/
Neighborhood Bird Project Washington Seattle Audubon Wildlife conservation https://seattleaudubon.org/get-involved/community-science/
Giant Hornet Trapping Washington Washington State Department of Agriculture Invasive species https://agr.wa.gov/departments/insects-pests-and-weeds/insects/hornets/citizen-science/trapping
Giant Hornet - Adopt a Wasp Nest Washington Washington State Department of Agriculture Invasive species https://agr.wa.gov/departments/insects-pests-and-weeds/insects/hornets/citizen-science/adopt-a-wasp
Forest Health Watch Regional Washington State University Forest health, climate change, invasive species https://foresthealth.org/
Quercus garryana Range Project Regional Independent Plant conservation https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/quercus-garryana-range-project
IDAH2O Master Water Stewards Regional University of Idaho Extension Water quality https://www.uidaho.edu/extension/idah2o
North Sound Stewards Regional RE Sources, Whatcom MRC Coastal environment conservation, restoration, water quality, and more https://www.re-sources.org/initiative/community-science/
Northern Rocky Mountain Biodiversity Challenge Regional Independent Regional Bioblitz https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083568962117
Pacific Northwest Bumblebee Atlas Regional Xerces Society, ODFW, WDFW and IDFG Conservation https://pnwbumblebeeatlas.org
The River Mile Oregon & Washington National Park Service Invasive species https://therivermile.org/
FLOwPER Oregon & Washington USGS Streamflow https://www.usgs.gov/center-news/flowper-user-s-guide-collection-flow-permanence-field-observations?qt-news_science_products=1#qt-news_science_products
Sapsuckers Oregon & Washington Washington State University Extension Maple Sugaring https://forestry.wsu.edu/sapsuckers/
Oregon Season Tracker Oregon Oregon State University Plant phenology, climate change http://oregonseasontracker.forestry.oregonstate.edu/
Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) Oregon Oregon State University Climate monitoring http://www.cocorahs.org/state.aspx?state=or
Forest Pest Detectors Oregon Oregon State University Forest health, entomology, invasive species https://extension.oregonstate.edu/ofpd
eButterfly Oregon Oregon State University Entomology http://www.e-butterfly.org/
Oregon Bee Project Oregon Oregon State University, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Department of Agriculture Entomology, pollinators https://www.oregonbeeproject.org/
Citizens Rare Plant Watch Oregon Portland State University, Rae Selling Berry Seed Bank & Plant Conservation Program Plant conservation https://www.pdx.edu/seed-bank/contact/contact-seed-bank
Oregon Wildlife Conservation Oregon Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Conservation https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/oregon-wildlife-conservation
Lake Pend Oreille Water Quality Monitoring Program Idaho Lake Pend Oreille WaterKeeper Water quality https://www.lakependoreillewaterkeeper.org/water-quality-monitoring-program/
Pollinator Associations Global, Oregon Born Independent Restoration and Conservation https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pollinator-associations
Breeding Bird Atlas British Columbia Bird Studies Canada, BC Ministry of the Environment Biodiversity conservation https://www.birdatlas.bc.ca/

 

University Extension Programming

Many land grant universities in the region offer programming and opportunities to learn and contribute to research.

City Nature Challenge

Every year from April 30 - May 3, cities and counties participate in the City Nature Challenge on iNaturalist.


Improve this webpage

This webpage and the project list above are hosted in a github repository.

Anyone is welcome to collaborate to add or make changes to the github repository (https://github.com/jmhulbert/pnwcitsci). The content on this page is compiled using R Markdown, but the project list is maintained as a .csv file.

  • As a repository collaborator:
    • You are welcome to clone the repository to your system and work from the R Project (pnwcitsci.Rproj) file in Rstudio or you can make changes to the ProjectList.csv file (files/data/ProjectList.csv).
    • You can also make changes directly to the .csv file through your browser.
    • Or you can make changes by downloading the .csv file, altering, committing and pushing it back to the repository.

Note that you need a github account to collaborate or make changes. Feel free to contact JM Hulbert for additional details or instructions. You can also contact JM Hulbert to request an addition or change.

Note that the Markdown (index.Rmd) file will need to be knit before the changes will be visible on this webpage.

 

 

More Information

Please contact JM Hulbert with any questions or suggestions for the PNW Citizen Science webpage.

Local Resources

More information coming soon

 

Technical Literature

More information coming soon


Advance Citizen Science

Greater support for citizen science in the Pacific Northwest is needed. Many of the above projects can accept donations and gifts, some of which are tax-deductible. Interested in funding multiple projects, establishing an endowment or grant, or supporting pnwcitsci.org? Contact JM Hulbert to discuss opportunities.

Together we can increase our impact with your support.