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Citizen Science: Signs of the Seasons

Have you ever wanted to join a citizen science project, but weren’t sure where to start? For the last three years, Maine Audubon has partnered with Signs of the Seasons–a great program that will teach you how to observe the changing seasons in your neighborhood, record what you see, and submit the data to help create a highly detailed picture of the regional climate.

Signs of the Seasons (SoS) volunteers use their backyards as laboratories to help scientists document the local effects of global climate change. So far, hundreds of volunteers have been trained to observe and record the phenology (seasonal changes) of common plants and animals living in their own communities, helping fill a gap in regional climate research.

We believe in the power of volunteers to collect information about the world around them. We welcome you to join one of the project’s spring trainings to learn how you can record the growth of milkweed, the nesting of robins, the timing of loon nesting and much more as an SoS volunteer. The goal is to build a rich, detailed record of the region’s seasonal turns, a resource too costly to build without a network of citizen volunteers like you. 

The next free training is at Gilsland Farm on Thursday, March 29 at 4 pm (you can register online). If you can’t make that date, there are other opportunities and more information on the SoS volunteer website here. This is a great chance to take small actions that will contribute to an important, ongoing study.