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Citizen Science 

Citizen science allows community members to participate in scientific data collection while learning more about their environment. Participation in citizen science can be as simple as snapping a few photos on your next hike or as involved as regularly monitoring local species. 

iNaturalist

iNaturalist is an online citizen science platform. Watch the video for a short tutorial on how to use it. The Douglas-Hart Foundation has several iNaturalist projects:

Creatures of the Douglas-Hart Nature Center
Prairie Plants of the Douglas-Hart Nature Center
Woodland Flora of the Douglas-Hart Nature Center
Animals of the Whiteside Garden 

When you make iNaturalist observations while at the Douglas-Hart Nature Center or Whiteside Garden, they will automatically be added to these projects if they meet the criteria. Each project helps the foundation monitor the flora and fauna present at our properties. 
iNaturalist
This project is great for individuals of all ages. Take pictures of the wildlife that you encounter and tag it at the location you spotted it. This helps scientists collect real data for research.
iNaturalist Tutorial

Wildlife Research

Nesting Box Monitor
We have several nesting boxes that are scattered across our property. Help us geolocate these boxes, clean and prepare them at the end of winter for the spring season, and record the birds that we are impacting throughout the spring and summer seasons.
Bat Monitoring
Bat monitors are needed to help piece in missing data from our forest management plan. Training and resources are provided. Using the electronic bat monitors, teams can identify species of bats on our properties.
Monarch Tagging
Monarch tagging helps us to understand their migratory patterns better. Each code on the tag is unique to that specific monarch and can be tracked along its migratory pattern. This is extremely helpful in understanding the health of our monarch population.