Simple backyard observations can make a global impact.

Citizen scientists, unite!

Make a positive impact on the environment without leaving your backyard.

On April 12, I saw a snipe — a little brown and white wading bird I hadn’t seen in six months. One had nested in our wetlands the year before, but had migrated to warmer climates some time in early October. Of course, I didn’t just remember that nugget of information off the top of my head; I looked back at my bird diary.

Gardeners, birders, hunters and anglers often keep journals of their plant, wildlife and weather observations. For more than a century, Audubon volunteers have conducted a Christmas bird count to record numbers and species sighted. Their data not only provides a long history to gauge recent trends, but also represents a value of more than $6 million in volunteer hours. Now, a global climate change has prompted scientists to solicit the observations from the public on what they see in nature.

It’s called phenology. Phenologists ask, “When do robins nest? When do lilacs bloom?” and “How do seasonal and climatic conditions affect the life cycles of plants and animals?”

Weather, or the day-to-day conditions that determine the clothes we wear, whether or not we should fertilize our gardens, or if the mayfly hatch is delayed, changes rapidly. Climate smoothes out the daily spikes and dips in weather, and refers to the prevailing conditions in a region over years.

Tracking climate trends requires the accumulation of weather data to figure out shifts in average temperatures, changes in rainfall and how fast the mountain snow melts in spring.

Your personal observations may only reflect what you see in your neighborhood. But when grouped with information from other citizen scientists, backyard phenologists and wildlife enthusiasts, you’re part of a bigger effort to help make a positive impact on the environment. — Marilyn Stone

Join the ranks of other citizen scientists

National Geographic Bioblitz
An annual two-day event where families join scientists to identify as many species as possible in a pre-selected national park.

Audubon
Christmas Bird Count: Add your observations to a century of data gathered by volunteers during this one-day event.
Great Backyard Bird Count: Report what’s in your backyard and beyond during this President’s Day weekend event.
eBird: Online recording of species and numbers to track population movements and distribution.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology
NestWatch: Enter in your data on the Web site or Twitter and upload your photos through Flickr to share with other nest watchers.

National Wildlife Federation
FrogWatch: Amphibians are the “canaries in our freshwater wetlands,” but their populations are declining worldwide. Help gather information to raise awareness of these important species.

Project FeederWatch
Periodically record species and count birds at your feeder from November to early April.

Project Budburst
Record first leaves of spring, first flower blooms and ripening of fruit. Upload images to share, and volunteer to be local media contact.

USA National Phenology Network
This phenologist network needs volunteers to monitor 200 plant species nationwide. They will eventually add animals and physical phenomenon, such as bird migrations and ice-out on ponds. Twitter your observations, and keep track of other’s findings through blogs and news reports.