NEON Citizen Science: Building a network through partnerships and collaborations

Citizen Science (CS) projects are a cornerstone of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Education and Public Engagement program. NEON CS represents a multi-pronged approach including Project BudBurst... [ view full abstract ]

Citizen Science (CS) projects are a cornerstone of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Education and Public Engagement program. NEON CS represents a multi-pronged approach including Project BudBurst (budburst.org), a continental-scale plant observation program; Citizen Science Academy (citizenscienceacademy.org); and a new crowdsourcing approach to the categorization and annotation of remotely sensed phenological images. Each project is national in scope with a strong partnership component designed to create local connections for a variety of non-scientific audiences. Although Citizen Science Academy, an online professional development resource, originally focused on Project BudBurst, current offerings reflect the intent to engage external CS programs. Finally, collaboration between Harvard University and NEON resulted in a crowdsourcing approach to remotely sensed phenological imagery that will utilize approaches from the social sciences and the gaming community.

Results
Working with external partners has increased the reach of NEON’s CS programs and activities. A key outcome is advancing continental scale ecology by making it relevant at a local level. Project BudBurst partners identify local plants for education and outreach at wildlife refuges, national parks, botanic gardens, and other nature based centers. These partners represent all regions of the country including Alaska and Hawaii. Observations from previously underreported areas have increased as a result of these partners. NEON’s CSA expanded its reach by partnering with other programs offering citizen science based instruction. For example, the US Forest Service and NEON staff developed an online course for field staff that is anticipated to result in an increase in phenology observations from forests and grasslands. An online course focused on citizen science for educators was developed in collaboration with other CS programs external to NEON (eBirds; COCORaHS; PicturePost, and FrogWatch USA). The second cohort of educators graduated from this course in December 2014 and resulted in registrations from educators across the country.