Mushroom Observer is a citizen science website where users record observations about mushrooms, help people identify mushrooms they aren’t familiar with, and expand the community around the scientific exploration of mushrooms (mycology). The site’s emphasis is on large fleshy fungi, however other fungi such as lichens, rust and molds as well as fungus-like organisms such as slime-molds are also welcome.
Learn more about this collaborative mushroom field journal on their website.
Having many newly planted trees and shrubs requires a lot of time and energy! Through the Upper Susquehanna Coalition’s Buffer Steward Program, interns and volunteers work to establish young forest areas within important riparian, or streamside, zones. Throughout the Upper Susquehanna and Chemung watersheds there are young trees and shrubs planted along streams in parks, farms, preserves, and more in need of stewardship in the form of weeding, invasive species removal, standing up tree tubes, replacing protective material, and removing no longer needed protective material. If you are interested in volunteering with the Buffer Steward Program, please contact Lydia Brinkley, USC Buffer Coordinator, at lbrinkley@u-s-c.org.
Help scientists map fireflies by observing them in your own backyard! Firefly Watch, a collaboration between Mass Audubon and Tufts University researchers, hopes to learn about the geographic distribution of fireflies and what environmental factors impact their abundance with the help of citizen scientists.
Volunteers spend 10 minutes once a week observing their backyard or another nearby outdoor location to see whether fireflies are present and if so, identifying them by their flashing pattern. Firefly Watch provides all the information you need to get started, including ID tips and how to submit your observations.
Head to their website to learn more about the project and how to get involved!
Master Naturalist ’20 – 31 volunteer hours , 38 training hours!
Favorite animals: bald eagle, chickadee, black bear, river otter
Favorite plants: hemlock, milkweed, black-eyed susan
Favorite natural place: Piesco Lake in the Adirondacks
Dick is a licensed landscape architect from Livingston County, NY. He joined the Master Naturalist program last year because he loves the natural world and being outdoors, and wanted to learn more about nature and volunteer in a focused way. He is also passionate about environmental conservation, and is not only an Accredited Professional for both LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and SITES (Sustainable Sites Initiative), but also sits on the US Green Building Council’s Sustainable Sites Technical Advisory Group.
Outside of his professional environmental work, Dick volunteers often with the NYS Hemlock Initiative monitoring for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid at sites in Naples and North Rose, NY. He was first drawn to the program because he owns property in the Adirondacks with a stand of mature Hemlock trees, and he now monitors those for HWA as well.
Dick also volunteers for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project Feeder Watch, counting birds at his feeders over the 21-week Feeder Watch season. So far, he’s observed 20 bird species at his feeders, and has enjoyed watching his backyard become a destination for birds and other wildlife.
To find training and volunteer opportunities, Dick signed up to receive newsletters from the various land trusts, soil and water conservation districts, lake associations, and conservation groups in his area. This provided him with plenty of opportunities to choose from, allowing him to pick events that interest him most. Dick also enjoys engaging his wife and three daughters to participate in field work with him, sharing learning experiences and enjoying time in the outdoors together.
Congratulations again to Dick, and thank you for all your contributions to citizen science in New York State!
We have so many great Master Naturalists across the state of New York doing important and valuable work! We try to feature a NY Master Naturalist each month to highlight this great work and provide some ideas of how you can fulfill your volunteer and training hours! Keep scrolling on this page to see more Featured Master Naturalists.
Master Naturalist ‘16 – 164 volunteer hours, 81 training hours!
Jen Ford is an active volunteer from Albany, NY. She joined the Master Naturalist
program because it was a great way to learn more about the natural world and give back to her
community. The highlight of her time with the program has been interacting with Master
Naturalist instructors and other Master Naturalists when participating in trainings and volunteer
weekends we have hosted.
Jen is lucky enough to live right by the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, and this is where the
majority of her volunteer efforts takes place. She was able to complete a training there to
become a Volunteer Naturalist for the Preserve. She loves interacting with visitors to the Pine
Bush and sharing information about this unique ecosystem with them. She has even been able
to show some visitors an endangered karner blue butterfly – something new to them!
Jen also coordinates a Bald Eagle Nest Watch with the Audubon Society of the Capital
Region. She finds it fascinating to track the different bald eagle nests around the area, and
document their success with raising young. She shares the information she collects with the
NYSDEC. Jen enjoys being part of a citizen science project that helps provide information on
the recovery of bald eagles in her area.
Congratulations again to Jen Ford! Thank you for continuing to share your knowledge and love
for your local area with those around you.
Nature’s Notebook is an online plant and animal phenology monitoring program for citizen scientists to contribute to a national database used by scientists and resource managers. They provide training resources and data visualization tools for participants, and even have a leaderboard for top observers (if you’re inspired by a little competition!).
Data collection is divided by regional campaigns focused on specific species, and there are plenty of different campaigns to contribute to in NY, including
Check out the full list of campaigns here, and sign up on the campaign’s individual page to receive project updates and helpful tips. A great opportunity to contribute to citizen science, and become more attuned with the cycles of nature near you!
Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is an invasive insect threatening New York’s native hemlock trees. Surveying for HWA can help limit both its damage and spread by contributing to research and informing management decisions.
MyHemlock is a great way for people to get involved in conservation, especially NY landowners. Volunteers choose one site on their property or in a local conservation area, and survey a group of hemlocks there twice a year (Nov/Dec and May/June). Surveying the same site over time helps researchers learn about:
on both a local and regional scale.
Want to get involved? Check out the MyHemlock website to learn more!
Looking for a way to keep volunteering while staying safe and socially-distanced? Put your bird knowledge to good use by contributing data to the Breeding Bird Atlas!
This is an opportunity for beginner and advanced birders alike – their website has tons of resources to get you started, addressing topics like conducting surveys, how to find breeding birds, being an ethical birder, and more! Running from 2020-2024, this is New York’s third breeding bird atlas, making us one of the first states in the US to conduct a third atlas.
Their project goals include:
Be an early bird – head to their website to get involved now!
Photo by Maggie Lin
The Empire State Pollinator Survey is a scientific study to determine the conservation status of a wide array of native insect pollinators in nonagricultural habitats in New York. They want to answer the question: which species are rare, which are common, and have any declined?
Volunteers learn survey methods to observe native bees, flies, beetles, and butterfly and moth species, and send their observational data to NY Natural Heritage Program. Volunteer data will help the NYNHP collect distributional information for important at-risk pollinator species that are native to the Northeastern US, and that are often studied less than honeybees.
There are a variety of ways that volunteers can participate in the Survey based on their interest, availability, and ability or comfort level with the various survey methods, including photographing pollinators, netting them, and collecting them with water traps. No prior experience identifying or surveying for pollinators is necessary, as long as participants are willing to learn the survey methods and follow instructions for data submission.
Sign up here to volunteer or stay informed about the project!
Photo by: Maggie Lin
We have so many great Master Naturalists across the state of New York doing important and valuable work! We try to feature a NY Master Naturalist each month to highlight this great work and provide some ideas of how you can fulfill your volunteer and training hours! Keep scrolling on this page to see more Featured Master Naturalists.
Master Naturalist ’18 – combined 435 volunteer hours, 120 training hours!
Anne and Dave Shepherd joined the program in 2018, and since then have been working hard with various volunteering organizations. The two have always been interested in the natural world, knowing that it is a complex system that we heavily depend on. Dave and Anne joined the program because it provided a solid framework for learning and doing as much as they could in a new discipline and enabled them to pursue their interests far more directly. Their favorite part about being Master Naturalists so far is being able to contribute not to just scientific research, but to professional NGO development and environmental education of the public.
The Shepherds focus a majority of their volunteering efforts towards the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. This is a large preserve with a multifaceted mission and a dedicated staff. Through the Refuge, Dave and Anne have participated in different environmental education outreach programs with various schools, teaching students about the wildlife in the area and the Refuge’s mission. They have also been working on guidebooks for species identification and mapping the Refuge area, which will be used by the Refuge in outreach activities. They have also served on the Refuge planning committee as co-leads for the spring outreach program, which is aimed at teaching students and their families about the environment in the area.
Congratulations to Anne and Dave Shepherd and thank you for all your work with the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, as well as your other volunteer efforts!
