Keep the kids and the whole family occupied- become citizen scientists. Citizen scientists help our researchers better understand the world. Our phones allow us the opportunity to collect data for research projects. The variety of projects is huge- from spotting Christmas beetles to finding plants or helping to save sea turtles’ nesting sites. You can choose a project that suits your location and interests. Kids are great at spotting small plants and animals and they also have better hearing than most adults, so get them involved.
Some projects that might be good over the school holidays include:
- Koala spotting in Koala Safe Spaces Program: To submit your sighting, go to midcoast.nsw.gov.au/koalasafespaces. (Hint-Koalas make a very distinctive grunting sound at night. If you hear them, go back in the daylight to see if you can spot one.)
- Christmas Beetle Count- a collaboration between University of Sydney and Invertebrates Australia: You will need to download the Australian Museum’s Xmas Beetle ID Guide app. You don’t have to submit your findings. You could just have a practice run with the kids this year identifying the type of beetles that you find. For more information, go to https://invertebratesaustralia.org/christmasbeetles
- Frog ID: Use your phone to record the sounds of your local frogs. If you submit your recording, you will get an identification, but it will take a month or so to complete. The researchers use AI to go through all the recordings. For more information, go to https://www.frogid.net.au/
- NSW TurtleWatch: Turtle nesting season is mostly in spring. If you see a turtle nest or spot turtle tracks, take lots of photos and immediately ring NSW Turtlewatch on 0447877149 or the National Parks and Wildlife Service on 1300 072 757.
- Australasian Fishes Project: The Australasian Fishes project allows you to upload, identify and comment on observations of Australian and New Zealand fishes. Go to https://australian.museum/get-involved/citizen-science/fishes/ .
- Redmap: Redmap is a ‘citizen science’ project that invites fishers and the community to share sightings of marine species that are ‘uncommon’ to their local seas. Over time, Redmap uses this ‘citizen science’ data to map which Australian marine species may be extending their distribution range in response to changes in the marine environment. For more information, please visit https://www.redmap.org.au/
- Birdwatch: Birdlife Australia has a number of opportunities to help protect and count our birds. Every spring, there is an annual bird count, where anyone can participate. All you need is the free birdlife Australia bird data app on your phone. The Great Glossy Count will also be held next spring on the 1 September. We have black glossy cockatoos in our area and they are often seen feeding on the casuarinas in the bush behind the NAC Community Centre. For more information, go to https://birdlife.org.au/bird-counts-and-surveys/
- Wild Orchid Watch: WOW is a national citizen science project designed to collect, record and share scientific information about Australian native orchids. The task is to take photos of orchids and habitat and record some environmental information via the WOW app. We have quite a variety of orchids in our bushland at NAC. Some are in flower now.
- Australian Platypus Monitoring Network: If you are out camping and you spot a platypus, you can report the sighting on the APC (Australian Platypus Conservancy) web page. For more information, go to https://www.platypusnetwork.org.au/home The site gives you tips on how to spot a platypus and information about how you can become more involved.
There are hundreds of citizen science projects that are family friendly. Just google Australian Citizen Science Project Finder to find something that interests you.
