An upcoming BioBlitz scheduled on Long Island in the Tanglewood Preserve has the local academia and the local amateur scientists excited... and the event might also have piqued some interest from producers at The Discovery Channel.

The BioBlitz is an interesting movement where community members designate a 24-hour period to canvass their local region and identify and catalog all of the organisms that can be observed. This concept is a perfect idea and opportunity to unite citizen scientists and local professional scientists to help keep track of regional biodiversity, species evolution, and environmental impacts on the local biosphere.

The following report suggests an unofficial interest from The Discovery Channel to document one such event, which would be a wonderful publicity boon to supporting the role of the citizen scientist and will certainly inspire many more to look into opportunities in their local areas.

The Wilderness Institute at the University of Montana features a Citizen Science program that is a wonderful opportunity for our amateur research friends up north to explore their local natural wildlands and contribute to the region's scientific monitoring.

They consider the contributions from their volunteers to be quite valuable and they seems quite supportive of the citizen science movement. The institute has programs going on right now, so visit the website by following the link below and contact the group to join in the activities. You might even make into an upcoming photogallery update!

If you are a Citizen Scientist involved with the Wilderness Institute, please let us know about your experiences by posting a comment below.

Not living in Montana, but want to explore a wilderness near you? Check out the national locater map at Wilderness.net sponsored by The University of Montana's College of Forestry and Conservation.

The role of the citizen scientist continues to grow into a new, profound tool for the scientific community. This realization from the academic world is once again made apparent by a new Job Posting from the University of Oxford's Department of Physics.

They are in search of not one, but two, postdoctoral associates to lead the development of new research programs that utilized citizen scientists in data collection. Most of this inspiration is stemming from another Oxford-lead program, GalaxyZoo, which is continuing to reap successful results from their world-wide community approach.

So, as a citizen scientists, it's time to really jump on the bandwagon. It's always a win-win ... the academic world gets tons of free data, that's reasonably reliable, and we get to be part of something important ... and have a whole lot of fun with the experience.

Two new wildflower plant species of the phlox family (more) have been discovered in the Lime Ridge Open Space at the foot of Mt. Diablo in central California. The two species are named Lime Ridge Navarretia (Navarretia gowenii) and Lime Ridge Woollystar (Eriastrum sp. nov.).

[ VIEW MORE IMAGES ]

The discoverer of the plants is amateur botanist, David Gowen, who is a testament to the reality that we still have much to learn about our world--and we often don't have to look much further than our back yard.

The media release from the Save Mount Diablo organization is a thorough review of the entire discovery process and is an exciting reminder of what real contributions citizen scientists provide.

Also featured by the Society of Amateur Scientists...

Beautiful falling space debris from the latest 1992 passing of Comet Swift-Tuttle will once again grace our sky early in the morning of August 12, 2008. Drive far away from city lights and venture with your family and friends to enjoy the show. The Perseid meteor shower should provide another good viewing this year with possibly one to two meteors each minute.

Read the following NASA news article to learn more and plan for a show of nature that will certainly be exciting and fun to watch.

The DPRI AmSci Journal does focus on reporting great opportunities to do real research as a citizen scientist. But, we cannot stress enough the importance of keeping your eyes open at any moment for the science discovery that might present itself just to you. It might not be a profound discovery never seen by any other human being, but it might still be intriguing, inspirational, and breathtaking.

In fact, we're starting a new category called "Inspiring Citizen Science" to present how others experience great personal moments in science discovery--large and small--and how you might be inspired to enjoy exploring as a citizen scientist.

Please read the following post from a woman who has moved out into the wilderness to start a new life, and be inspired by her openness to interact with the world around her...

If you have a personal science experience that you would like to share with the other readers of the DPRI AmSci Journal, please submit your story to the publisher or post your own Citizen Science Public Journal Report.

The Division of Historical Resources in New Hampshire is offering a wonderful opportunity for citizen scientists to learn new skills, have some summer fun "hunting in the woods," and to provide important discoveries on regional historical landmarks and resources.

There is no digging required, just a little bug repellent (and apparently a small fee of $25 to help cover the basic costs)... and short training courses, or "field schools," are available to prepare the inexperienced. In particular, the State Conservation and Rescue Archaeology Program (or SCRAP) is looking for locations of old building foundations--called cellar holes--from communities that once existed in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Microsoft Research recently released the WorldWide Telescope (WWT) software, which provides seamless access to astronomical data via an advanced interactive interface.

The name "WorldWide Telescope" comes from the description by Alex Szalay and Jim Gray in 2002 of a new genre of astronomical research that would recognize and utilize the vast resources that were becoming available on the World Wide Web. As that grid of resources becomes a unified reality with the infrastructure provided by the VO efforts, Microsoft Research and the Space-Time Consortium at Harvard are developing WWT to unify these distributed resources on the astronomer's desktop.

"The VO Inside WorldWide Telescope" :: NVO Newsletter Issue 2: June 2008 :: [ READ ]

(The above introduction was re-published with permission from Sarah Emery Bunn of the US National Virtual Observatory.)

Be inspired to experience science when it's least expected.

This featured article has nothing to do with wonderful and exciting citizen science projects searching for the answers to major research questions; it doesn't announce the successful achievements of an amateur for a great scientific discovery.

But, it does remind us that simple--yet profound and beautiful--scientific experiences can happen to every one of us at nearly any point in time. We must only be open to the opportunity and ready to take in a few observations of the amazing universe in which we live... and enjoy it. Simply enjoy it. This is the essence of everyday citizen science, and it should be enjoyed by everyone on the planet as often as possible.

Read as the author has a "bad day" and heads to the forest looking for a little relaxation. What she finds is nature at its best and most amazing, and is inspired to tell everyone to come out an join her.

The northern prairie skink (taxonavigation) of Manitoba, Canada is disappearing from the cold landscape. Although apparently thriving in the United States, fewer remain up north and the little critter was officially deemed endangered by the federal government in 2004 and is currently under review by the Endangered Species Advisory Committee.

Much of this increased awareness was directly influenced by the work of one citizen scientist, Errol Bredin, who has spent most of his life since childhood chasing down the quick little lizard, who has the ability to loose and regrow its tail if pulled too hard.

Now, a new Internet-based community group has been formed called "S.O.S" ... "Save Our Skinks" ... with key member, Doug Collicutt, the publisher of the Nature North e-zine. S.O.S is calling on the local citizenry to report rare skink sightings and support Skinkfest to raise additional awareness. An organized citizen science-based program is not yet developed, but they are certainly looking for more support to grow the program.

Dr. Pamela Rutherford at Brandon University is also formally studying the species, and is planning to use technology to help record underground skink activity that has never been seen before. Coupled with the potential amateurs in the area, a clear picture of skink survivability can be determined with the hope of saving the species from further decline over the next decade.

The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission has successfully recruited citizen scientists in the area to record over 2,500 observations of box turtle activity during an eight-month period last year, and are continuing the efforts this year. The box turtle population is potentially being threatened, and the mass data collection is being used to determine it status.

This collective work of amateurs is yet another example of how citizen science is being taken more seriously ... in particular, because it is proving to be so useful to organizations who simply don't have the people-power to gather large amounts of data.

If you live in the area or would like to preview the preliminary data, visit the Natural Heritage program on line.

Google is making a $50,000 financial connection with Galaxy Zoo to support the continued development of the program, and to extend the reach and usability of GoogleSky. Professor Bob Nichol, a Galaxy Zoo team member and faculty at the University of Portsmouth, is the recipient of the grant.

Google sure is getting into everything these days... sound like a familiar Mr. Gates a few years back? ... fortunately, the technology is pretty great for assisting amateur scientists to great things!

The following email plea was recently sent out by the SETI@HOME program to encourage citizen scientists to contact Congress right away to insist on the continued funding of Arecibo Radio Telescope, which is the source for all data analysized through SETI. Please consider how important this program is to you personally, and consider becoming involved with the data analysis, if you have not yet already done so [ LEARN MORE ]

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Arecibo Observatory, the world's largest radio telescope and the source for the SETI@home data that your computer analyzes, faces massive budget cuts that will END its ability to continue the search for life beyond Earth. The decision to ensure full funding currently rests upon votes in Congress on Senate Bill S.2862 and House Resolution H.R. 3737. These bills desperately need more support.

Please take a moment to help us SAVE ARECIBO.

Clicking the link below will direct you to a web page that allows you to print out letters prepared for your Senators and Congressional Representative urging them to support Arecibo. Printing and mailing the letters is really easy, too! You will also have the chance to add a few personal thoughts, if you wish, to let your Senators and Representative know why this funding is important to you! And if you're really feeling passionate about saving Arecibo, please use these letters as the basis for letters you write yourself, urging your congressmen and women to vote to save Arecibo.

Because our representatives in Congress rarely give much attention to all the email they receive, printing out and MAILING these letters via standard U.S. Postal mail remains our best option for contacting them and our best hope for saving Arecibo (The second best option is to call your representatives). Your 42 cent stamps on these letters could help us get the millions of dollars needed to save Arecibo.

Our search cannot continue without the necessary support. Your work, as SETI@home participants, represents an indispensable resource for conducting the search. Now, we need your help to ensure that our other most valuable resource - our eyes and ears to the cosmos - can continue to probe the universe as we seek to answer the question: Is there anybody out there?

[ OPEN ARECIBO LETTER ]

Thank you for your help,

The SETI@home Team
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Since 1995, thousands of Britons have participated in the citizen science bird monitoring programs though the British Trust for Ornithology. In particular, the BTO is looking for people interested in developing personal garden habitats to help survey how birds use gardens and how this use changes with the season.

DPRI wants to know about your amateur research activities! As more people see what exciting and interesting things citizen scientist do, then more will be inspired to join in developing a deeper appreciation for our universe.

Please post brief reports of your work--from small-scale backyard discoveries with your family to nation-wide collaborations--as COMMENTS below and inspire the next generation of citizen scientists!

Citizen scientists are making more significant contributions in South Carolina where the Swallow-tailed Kite (more) has become severely geographically restricted, and is now considered endangered.

The current extent of the bird's habitat has been mapped out only because of the reporting of observations from people living in the area. In fact, the ten-year-old national wildlife refuge, Waccamaw, was established based on citizen science observations.

View from the Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Jessica Johnson, The Post and Courier

The South Carolina Swallow-tailed Kites Working Group is heading up critical programs to continue monitoring and mapping the habitat development of the bird. You may join in this project by reporting your own observations and bird sightings by registering with The Center for Birds of Prey, who is managing the on line database.

Where did all of the fireflies go? Generations of families have spent countless evenings spotting and catching little glowing bugs in our backyard. After the sun would set, seemingly hundreds of flashing lights would come out and float around outside. But, many are finding fewer of these flashes, and it is not yet clear what is causing an apparent decline in firefly populations.

Researchers from the Museum of Science, Boston, Tufts University, and Fitchburg State College are enlisting citizen scientists from all over the country to help map out and study firefly habitats to determine what environmental factors affect their geographic distribution and behavior during the summer. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to experience real amateur research and contribute to an important nation-wide study of the evolution of habitats in our country.

The tasks involved in this project are relatively easy, and will consume only a few minutes each week in the evenings... of course, more time may be spent to collect more valuable data. The project features an easy-to-use on line data journal, and provides updated maps of habitat observations across the country. For each data collection session, a few simple questions need to be answered from ten minutes of observations in your backyard ... a time that will prove to be a relaxing respite after a long day at work or a fun time to bond with the children.

Several environmental factors are being explored in this study to find out more about what general influences firefly activity. In particular, they are looking at how different types of lawn care activities might affect the habitat, outdoor and street lighting during the evening and night-time, foliage coverage, farmland, and water sources.

Firefly Watch also includes a nice educational overview about fireflies... or lightning bugs (they're really flashing beetles!)... including how to identify different types, gender, and why and how the little buggies having flashing bums. This is yet another perfect opportunity to learn about science in nature with your family, and then go out and experience the science directly in your own backyard. Certainly, this is a way for younger students (and those newly-inspired adults!) to realize a deeper understanding and appreciation for nature. In addition, if time is spent first with children to "book learn" about fireflies and then directly experience firefly behavior in the "real world," a further realization and connection between learning and experiencing the real thing can be developed. And, this skill is certainly important to have as they continue with their future education experiences in the classroom.

Register for free on line right away, so that you may collect as much data as possible this summer. Then, additional data collection will open up next summer so that firefly habitat trends year-to-year may developed. Recall your childhood memories, make new memories with your kids, and do real amateur research this summer with Firefly Watch.

If you have participated in the Firefly Watch program, please tell us about your experience and results by posting a comment below.

In August 2006, BBC Radio 4 featured a great 3-week program on citizen science activities in Great Britain. You may listen to the archived programs online, which are now featured in the DPRI Learning/EDU section.

Be inspired by people who love doing amateur research and how they contribute valuable information to the scientific community. [ LISTEN NOW ]