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Northern CA PPSR Projects 1

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Welcome to our ongoing effort to catalog citizen science and other public participation in scientific research (PPSR) projects for UC California Naturalists and other citizen scientists.  We invite you to browse the listed projects or enter key words (like birds, youth, invasive, coast, Alameda, etc.) in the search box above to find projects in your area. It's a great way to stay involved and keep developing your skills as a natural scientist!

A vast majority of the information in the database was gathered from project websites and may be out of date. We encourage you to contact projects directly to get involved and learn about most recent opportunities. If you work with a listed project and would like to add to, update, or correct the information we have, please email cghdixon@ucdavis.edu. Also, please consider filling out the "PPSR perspectives" survey. Click here to access the survey, which will help guide this project in the coming year.

If you know of a project not on our list, please go to the "tell us about a project" link on the left so we can list the project here. Thanks for your help!

Special thanks goes to the National Science Foundation Informal Science Education program and the Stephen J. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation for supporting this database of projects.

iNaturalist

  • Organization Name
    iNaturalist
  • Project Website
  • Organization Website
  • Partners
    N / A
  • Contact Name
    N / A
  • Contact Email
    N / A
  • Contact Phone
    N / A
  • Other Contact Information
  • Project Purpose (taken from project materials)

    From hikers to hunters, birders to beach-combers, the world is filled with naturalists, and many of us record what we find. What if all those observations could be shared online? You might discover someone who finds beautiful wildflowers at your favorite birding spot, or learn about the birds you see on the way to work. If enough people recorded their observations, it would be like a living record of life on Earth that scientists and land managers could use to monitor changes in biodiversity, and that anyone could use to learn more about nature.

    A platform for citizen scientists and projects to upload and share information about observations.

  • Participant Activities

    iNaturalist contributors download the iNaturalist app for iPhone or Android and upload observations of plants or animals, along with specific information used to document exactly what was seen and where. 

    iNaturalist is also used by many citizen science projects (such as Bay Area BioAtlas, Redwood Watch, SPAWN, and a number of bioblitzes) that may have specific instructions for volunteers contributing observations through iNaturalist.

  • Data Entry
    • Cell Phone
  • Other Participant Activities

    Volunteers (and projects) can download data from the iNaturalist website (according to project, place, species, etc.).

    Contributors can view others' observations and offer advice on identification, ask questions, offer praise, etc.

  • System Studied
    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Invasive Species
    • Plants
    • Invertebrates
    • Climate Change
    • Marine
    • Wetlands - Freshwater Streams and Marshes
    • Intertidal zone
  • Geographic Scope
    National
  • Region
    All (see 'geographic scope')
  • Location
    Anywhere
  • Location - Map
    N / A
  • Time Commitment
    • Other (see Other Information below)
  • Volunteer Qualifications

    Volunteers must be able to download the iNaturalist app on a mobile device.

  • Volunteer Training
    N / A
  • Cost to Participant
    N / A
  • How will the findings be used?

    Data collected is accessible online - viewable and downloadable - for use for contributors and professional scientists.

  • Other Information
    N / A
  • Photo
    N / A
  • last update:
    N / A

If you work with this project and would like to add to or update the information below, please email cghdixon@ucdavis.edu.

If you know of a project not on our list, please go to the "tell us about a project" link on the left so we can list the project here. Thanks for your help!

This database is focused on projects in California focused on the environment. For opportunities outside California, as well as national projects that don't have a California-specific components, check http://www.birds.cornell.edu/citscitoolkit/projects.