Citizen Science

A related term to citizen science that you will see on this site is "crowdsourcing". Crowdsourcing is a method to obtain needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting voluntary contributions from a group of individuals or organizations, especially from an online community. This and related terms are also described in this blog post:  https://www.digitalgov.gov/2015/12/16/challenges-crowdsourcing-citizen-science-whats-the-dif.md/

Citizen science is an opportunity to get involved in something you're interested in - whether it’s sharing your observation of butterflies for monarch research or uncovering the mysteries of the past through archaeological digs, volunteering on a local project is a great way to increase your knowledge and share your perspective. Citizen science collaborations can build a better understanding between the community, scientists, and decision-makers about social aspects in environmental issues. It's also a great way to spend time with family and friends!

Citizen science brings together two important Forest Service values – using sound science to guide our management and decision making, and connecting our work to the public that we serve. We are engaged in a wide variety of citizen science projects, including studies of butterflies, bats, cultural resources, watershed health and of course, trees! Citizen science offers a great opportunity to work side-by-side with the communities we serve to increase education and interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, and to encourage the next generation of environmental stewards. Volunteers help us fulfill our mission by collecting data that we couldn’t collect on our own, and by bringing new and innovative ideas to resource management.

Volunteers can provide larger-scale data collection over a longer period of time than conventional science, and with more people on the lookout, changes in the environment are more likely to be spotted. Citizen science allows community members with more in-depth knowledge of an area to guide scientists and managers who may not be as familiar. Scientists and managers can also teach volunteers about their work, raising scientific literacy in a community.

Some studies require special skills that are not practical to teach volunteers, so projects using relatively simple methods are generally better suited for citizen science. There is the risk of personal bias leaking into data, but conventional science struggles with this too. Data integrity in citizen science is achieved the same way that it is in any research project – through training, standardized sampling procedures, collection of duplicate samples, and quality assurance and controls. When citizen science projects are well planned, the quality of data can match that of conventional research projects. One challenge can be generating interest in a project – remote areas are not as appealing to a broad audience as projects near cities and towns, for example. A good way to ensure good volunteer recruitment is to assess who is interested in the topic and location of your project early in the planning process. 

Our Projects page offers opportunities to volunteer on Forest Service projects. Check the Federal Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Catalog for projects from all government agencies including the Forest Service. You can also check with your local national forest or grassland to check for any unlisted projects that need volunteers and citizen scientists. For general volunteer stewardship opportunities, like trail maintenance and invasive species removal, visit the Volunteers page.

Citizen science is a great opportunity to bring science to life while meeting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) requirements. Take a look at our Resources and Webinars page to find more tools and creative ideas. You can also search for a nearby National Forest or Grassland to ask about opportunities to partner on citizen science projects with your classroom.