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Horn Pond Biodiversity & Climate Citizen Scientist
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Description
Be part of a community of volunteers who share your passion for protecting our urban plants and wildlife.
Earthwise Aware (EwA) has partnered with local environmental nonprofits and governmental organizations to observe and protect nature by monitoring wildlife and plants in Middlesex County, including at Horn Pond.
EwA-trained citizen scientists learn to observe natural systems in their entirety and quickly come to appreciate how interdependent the parts of the whole are. Our citizen scientists collect data following rigorous protocols using dedicated mobile apps and have collected over 350,000 phenological observations and 160,000 biodiversity records in the field. The data enriches state, national, and global research databases, which contribute to a greater understanding of the effects of land use and climate change on our local urban natural habitats, parks, and reservations.
→ Join us and become a citizen scientist for EwA
- Love plants? Monitor the phenology (seasonal timing) of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers to help understand long-term trends in Middlesex County.
- Enjoy birds? Learn to identify birds and record their activity to contribute to understanding migratory patterns and changes in the local bird populations.
- Like bugs? Document insect diversity composition, abundance, and their interaction with the plants they visit in Middlesex County, and contribute to the research needed to help the bugs and their host plants thrive.
- Interested in tracking Invasive species? Anywhere you may be, document invasive flora species. Your observations inform EwA's habitation fragmentation studies and our partners' conservation management efforts.
→ Get started today
Join us for one of our weekly field surveys at Horn Pond and learn how to monitor and collect data. We meet at EwA's Woburn site on Thursdays at 8:45 a.m. Field surveys last about 90 minutes or more, depending on the focus of the work session that week.
Together, we can make a difference!
ⓘ www.earthwiseaware.org/citizen_science
1 shift available:
- Wednesday Mornings at Mt Towanda (Woburn, Medford) or the Sturgis entrance depending on the season: 08:30 to 10:30 EST
Location
Mount Towanda, Horn Pond, Woburn, Massachusetts, US
Directions
FYI, our survey site, three seasons of the year, is located roughly in this area https://maps.app.goo.gl/D3tXoVVh5jEkMjDJ6. In winter, we move to the lower part of the pond.
Please fill out this form
Thank you for considering applying. Please make sure you have read our Biodiversity and Climate Participatory Science storyMap.
After reviewing your application, we will contact you. You can also get ahead by attending a field orientation, which we typically recommend as part of our follow-up. This session offers a comprehensive introduction to EwA’s fields of study and fieldwork.
Orientations are held monthly at two locations:
- Second Monday of the month at Middlesex Fells Reservation (Medford area)
- Second Saturday of the month at the Somerville Growing Center
The content is the same at both sites and covers our work across all field locations. You can find more details [here]. It is a great opportunity to meet the team, learn about our approach, and ask questions. Afterward, we will provide more field- and data-specific guidance.
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
