Saturday, February 16, 2008

Project Budburst Needs Citizen Scientists

Project Budburst 2008 got underway yesterday. Thanks to NPR's "Living on Earth" for showcasing the new project and website in today's radio broadcast. Project Budburst is a bottom-up data collection effort that needs citizen scientists of any age (many current participants are children) to observe the timing of bud blooms in their gardens and communities. Observations are logged, by plant species and geographic location, in a centralized database which can then be used by participating academic partners to chart climate change. The project is part of the National Phenology Network (NPN) field campaign. The now inevitable process of global warming makes the once obscure field of historical climatology very timely and germane.

So if you've got a garden, or take daily walks in your local park you can contribute to this bottom-up, web-driven effort. This is one of the really great benefits of the Internet age. If you've got an interest, there is a job for you to do, and a community of like-minded peers that you can join.

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