Calling All Citizen Scientists: Help Observe and Track Plants and Wildlife in Pinellas

A neighbor who has lived in Clearwater for several decades recently told me that over the years, he’s noticed a shift in our temperature patterns—the summers seem to be getting hotter, the winters shorter and milder, the spring blooms earlier each year. 

Certainly, we are all familiar with concerns about climate change, but how can we know for sure whether warming weather patterns are long term or simply temporary or cyclical?  The answer: science.  Through observing, collecting and tracking information about the life cycles of plants and animals and how they interact, over time scientists can analyze the data and deliver fact-based answers to such important questions. 

Nonscientists can even help gather this information—in fact, a national program called Nature’s Notebook is recruiting Pinellas residents, including kids, to participate in the effort.  Sponsored by the National Phenology Network, through the Nature’s Notebook project residents observe and track seasonal changes in plant and animal cycles to help reveal how climate change may be impacting our local environment. 

If you’d like to help in this effort—or even make it a family project—you’re in luck.  The Pinellas County Extension Service is hosting the Citizen Scientist workshop on June 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 at Extension’s office in Largo.  Open to residents of all ages, the workshop will give participants a primer on the plants and animals native to our region; how to select a subject and site for observation; and how to record and report your observations online. 

One of the coolest aspects about the Nature’s Notebook project is that you can literally perform your scientific research in your own back yard.  Choose a native plant to observe, plant it in an appropriate spot in your yard, and record the dates of when it leafs out, buds, blooms, develops fruit, and goes to seed.  This is a particularly great educational project for kids, and one that the entire family can share.

To sign up for the “Citizen Scientist” workshop, visit Extension’s website at www.pinellas.ifas.ufl.edu.  Click “Registration.”   While you’re at it, check out the many informative classes that Extension has to offer, most of which are free of charge.

To learn more about the National Phenology Network and Nature’s Notebook, visit the organization’s website at www.usanpn.org.