The goals of Beespotter are to engage citizen scientists in data collection to establish a much-needed baseline for monitoring population declines, to increase public awareness of pollinator diversity, and enhance public appreciation of pollination as an ecosystem service. The use of photography for identification, instead of the net, pin, and spreading board of traditional entomology, is consistent with the goal of preserving bee diversity and enhancing pollinator appreciation.

Budburst brings together researchers, educators, gardeners, and citizen scientists on a shared journey to uncover the stories of how plants are affected by a changing climate. We hope that sharing these stories will increase appreciation of plants and the natural world and inspire conservation action. A project of the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Become a part of the research at The Field Museum by participating in our Citizen Science projects, specially designed for community participation.

CoCoRaHS is a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow). It is now the largest provider of daily precipitation observations in the U.S.

Community science (or “citizen science”) refers to scientific work undertaken by members of the general public, typically under the direction of professional scientists. There are many opportunities for Illinoisans to help the scientists at the Illinois Natural History Survey monitor the state’s biodiversity and habitats.

CosmoQuest, developed by the STEM Center at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, has several astronomy projects that allow citizen scientists to map celestial objects, including the moon.

The Forest Fungi Project, based at the University of Wisconsin, studies factors influencing the distribution and diversity of tree-associated fungi in Eastern Temperate Forests; in other words: which fungi are where – and why are they there? you to send us tree roots from forested areas located east of and adjacent to the Mississippi River. They're looking for citizen scientists to send us tree roots from forested areas located east of and adjacent to the Mississippi River.

The Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network engages citizen scientists in the process of collecting quantitative data on butterfly populations. Our goal is to provide data collected with a standardized protocol that allows land managers to evaluate long-term trends in a changing landscape. The Network also offers opportunities for fellowship, mentorship, and continuing education between citizen scientists and professional biologists.

Part of iNaturalist. You can add your own observations.

The Illinois RiverWatch Network is a volunteer monitoring initiative coordinated by the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠). RiverWatch is the only statewide biological monitoring program that provides volunteers a hands-on opportunity to become stewards of our local waterways by monitoring stream habitat and water quality. The program was originally established in 1995 and has since expanded to the statewide level, with over 200 participants monitoring streams annually.

Links to monitoring and stewardship opportunities in Illinois.

The Mosquito Ambassador Program (MAP) is a citizen science initiative of the INHS Medical Entomology Lab that invites individuals and families to learn about mosquito ecology and help track the range of invasive mosquito species by collecting eggs throughout the state. The program’s objectives are to spread awareness of mosquito-borne diseases, empower individuals to assist with mosquito prevention in their neighborhoods, and implement a passive mosquito surveillance system for Illinois.

Plants of Concern (POC) engages a diverse, dedicated group of citizen scientists to monitor the Chicago Wilderness region's rarest plants, assessing trends in their populations, and providing important data used to conserve our rapidly declining floral heritage. Plants of Concern is coordinated by the Chicago Botanic Garden in partnership with local, state, federal and nonprofit agencies.

No matter where you live, city or suburb, from the Midwest to the East Coast, Canada to California, if squirrels live in your neighborhood, you are encouraged to become a squirrel monitor. By contributing your observations of squirrels from home, the office, school, a park, or anywhere, you are helping us better understand the ecology of our neighborhoods. Contribute data as often as you like, from anywhere you are.

Science Near Me is a free resource for finding opportunities to engage in all types of science, technology, engineering, math, (STEM) events, projects, and programs near you, in person and online. Enter search preferences and Science Near Me will scan their partners’ opportunities and present a list of options. Search by location, topic, audience, and more.

This site provides resources to help you get started with creating applications for citizen science projects, analyzing data and communicating results. Technologies are divided into several usage patterns: citizen engagement and open data, field data collection and quality control, project status; and communicating results.

Use the idle time on your computer (Windows, Mac, Linux, or Android) to cure diseases, study global warming, discover pulsars, and do many other types of scientific research.

Citizenscience.gov is an official government website designed to accelerate the use of crowdsourcing and citizen science across the U.S. government. The site provides a portal to three key assets for federal practitioners: a searchable catalog of federally supported citizen science projects, a toolkit to assist with designing and maintaining projects, and a gateway to a federal community of practice to share best practices.

CoCoRaHS is a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow). It is now the largest provider of daily precipitation observations in the U.S.

Did You Feel It? (DYFI) collects information from people who felt an earthquake and creates maps that show what people experienced and the extent of damage.

The Water Challenge builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by engaging citizens to conduct basic monitoring of their local waterbodies.

eBird documents the presence or absence of species, as well as bird abundance through checklist data. A simple and intuitive web-interface engages tens of thousands of participants to submit their observations or view results via interactive queries into the eBird database. eBird encourages users to participate by providing Internet tools that maintain their personal bird records and enable them to visualize data with interactive maps, graphs, and bar charts. All these features are available in English, Spanish, and French.

Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time.

TNMCorps is an online crowdsourcing mapping project with volunteers successfully editing structures in all 50 States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As part of The National Map, structures include schools, hospitals, post offices, police stations, cemeteries, and other important public buildings. By updating and verifying structures data, volunteers are making significant contributions to USGS National Structures Database, The National Map, and ultimately U.S. Topo Maps.

Project BudBurst, a NEON citizen science program, is a network of people across the United States monitoring plants as the seasons change.

The Audubon Society asks people who watch the puffin burrow cam to take a snapshot on the site if they see the parents feeding the puffin chicks.

Links to EPA and other federal citizen science resources.

Find volunteer opportunities that match topics you're curious or concerned about.

Find projects near you.

When you participate in the program, you’ll go outside to observe nature in your backyard or nearby area weekly and enter this information online.

Use mobile technology to explore, discover, and share the natural world.

Zooniverse gives people of all ages and backgrounds the chance to participate in real research with over 50 active online citizen science projects.