Citizen Science
Opportunities
ENJOY OBSERVING NATURE? WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
Here are a few ways you can share your observations, and contribute to conservation efforts.
Share with OHA!
Do you have photos you’d like to share with us to be published in the Buckhorn Bulletin or used for other projects? Do you have a question about something you’ve observed in the Okanogan Highlands? We will do our best to connect you with expertise to answer your question.
iNaturalist.org
Explore! Learn! Record!
iNaturalist.org, where you can record what you see in nature, meet other nature lovers, and learn about the natural world
Great Backyard Bird Count
Bird watchers of all ages count birds to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are.
eBird Northwest
eBird provides online tools for identifying birds, reporting their sightings, and contributing to conservation efforts. Also find the app and download local bird packs to your phone for offline access.
Nestwatch.org
“Help measure nature’s success — nests, clutches, broods, and fledglings” For over a decade people like you have helped scientists by collecting valuable data on the successes and failures of nesting birds.
“Our database is intended to be used to study the current condition of breeding bird populations and how they may be changing over time as a result of climate change, habitat degradation and loss, expansion of urban areas, and the introduction of non-native plants and animals.” (Cornell Lab of Ornithology, nationwide monitoring program)
Christmas Bird Count (CBC)
Each November, birders interesting in participating in the CBC can sign up and join in through the Audubon website. Volunteers throughout the Americas brave snow, wind, or rain, and take part in the effort. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this long-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations, and to help guide conservation action.
NatureMapping Foundation
NatureMapping links schools, communities and scientists. Its mission is to protect biodiversity through data collection and dissemination. NatureMapping can be done by anyone willing to take the time to learn about wildlife identification and able to spend time outdoors recording what they see. Students, teachers, retired people, business groups, bird watchers, outdoor enthusiasts and community activists have all participated in the NatureMapping Program.
Feederwatch.org
Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. FeederWatch data help scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. Anyone interested in birds can participate. FeederWatch is conducted by people of all skill levels and backgrounds, including children, families, individuals, classrooms, retired persons, youth groups, nature centers, and bird clubs.
Eastern Washington Shrub Steppe Songbird Survey
Check out a long-term project to count sagebrush songbirds on Columbia Plateau public lands.