As you welcome in the new year and consider positive additions you can make to your daily ritual, perhaps consider participating in a citizen-science project. They’re a great way to make a positive impact on the environment, says the Watershed Alliance of Adams County.
Citizenscience.gov defines citizen science as “… the public participates voluntarily in the scientific process, addressing real-world problems in ways that may include formulating research questions, conducting scientific experiments, collecting and analyzing data, interpreting results, making new discoveries, developing technologies and applications, and solving complex problems.”
There are citizen-science projects that can be done from the comfort of your warm home or with just a small effort of collecting data from your own backyard. Here are a few:
Last year the Watershed Alliance encouraged its members to participate in the SALT WATCH project to investigate the impact of road salt on our streams. This project is ongoing, and now’s a great time to sign up!
Another opportunity is the upcoming Winter Salt Week, observed Jan. 27-31, which is a multi-state, multi-organizational effort to provide education and volunteer opportunities regarding road salt and water/wildlife impacts. See the article below for more information.
Busy on the 27th? You can also check out “Winter Salting and Local Waterway Impacts: Opportunities to Work for Change,” an online event set for Thursday, Jan. 16, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. If you’re concerned about the impacts of salt on local waterways, human health, and community infrastructure, and you’re willing to take action, you won’t want to miss this Conversation Café sponsored by the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers. The event is free, but registration is required.
An easy, effective, year-round way to participate in watershed protection is the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow (CoCoRaHS) monitoring project. The CoCoRaHS network monitors precipitation throughout the United States on a daily basis. Your small part will make a big impact as you collect and share with thousands of others throughout the country. Let’s get more of Adams County on the map! Below is a map of participating CoCoRaHS monitoring locations—volunteers like you who check their rain gauges every morning and submit their data online.
Find out more at adamswatersheds.org.
Source: Watershed Alliance of Adams County