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Water Warriors.Armed with shovels, shears, nets and clipboards, citizen-scientists across the country are discovering that observation is often the most critical step in identifying pollutants and protecting their own backyards and district waters. As state natural resource agencies have become increasingly short-staffed and underfunded, they are less able to detect and respond to threats. Everyday citizens can play an important role in helping protect local resources by serving as guardians, observers and first-responders.
Getting your feet wet in neighborhood conservation efforts can be as simple as joining your area river, lake or wetlands organization. Across North America, volunteers are helping to transform overlooked waterways into cherished assets. Many citizens' groups are even developing water-quality monitoring programs to chart the health of their local waters. And often residents are the first to discover a nasty spill or a fish kill in their area. To learn more about efforts near you, visit the River Network online directory at rivernetwork.org, or contact your regional chapter of the Izaak Walton League, Ducks Unlimited or Trout Unlimited.
Hands-On Habitat.
Reptiles and amphibians are often overlooked -- and, by some of us, avoided at all costs -- but these fascinating and elusive creatures can be a valuable indicator of environmental quality. By tracking population trends, and charting the presence or absence of particular species over time, scientists keep a finger on the pulse of the ecosystem. If the local population of a particular critter vanishes or exhibits malformations, it serves as a red flag. And you can help! The North American Amphibian Monitoring Program recruits and trains committed volunteer observers to listen for and identify frog calls. To try your hand at the online frog call quiz and learn if the survey is active in your state, visit www.pwrc.usgs.gov/naamp. Or just going on a frog hike may tap into your inner biologist! And your kids will totally think it's cool.
Taking Flight.
If feathered creatures are more your speed, establish a new winter tradition this year by participating in the National Audubon Society's 107th annual Christmas Bird Count held nationwide, and throughout the Americas, from December 14, 2006, to January 5, 2007. Believe it or not, counting birds is not just a hobby; it arms scientists with valuable data. This survey helps monitor the status and distribution of bird populations across the Western Hemisphere.
As with reptiles and amphibians, the presence (or absence) of certain species can be an important measure of environmental health. Local trends can pinpoint contaminants or habitat degradation. Visit the Audubon Society website, Audubon.org, to get involved, and you can become a citizen-scientist even if you never touch a frog.
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