Capturing Seasonal Changes: A Citizen Science Initiative by University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant are excited to announce a series of in-person workshops for individuals interested in participating in the Signs of the Seasons citizen science project. The first training session will be held on Thursday, April 4th from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Stimpson’s Point in Brunswick. Additional workshops will be held in Falmouth, Wells, Augusta, Camden, and Boothbay throughout April and May. A full schedule of workshops can be found on the Signs of the Seasons webpage.

These workshops will teach participants how to make scientific observations of phenology, which is the study of cyclic and seasonal changes in plants and animals. Participants will practice making observations and leave with the tools and knowledge necessary to set up their own observation site to record changes in phenology. The goal of Signs of the Seasons is to recruit volunteers to identify and record changes in over 20 different indicator species, including rockweed, milkweed, loons, butterflies, and lilacs. These observations are crucial for understanding Maine’s changing climate.

Data collected by volunteers participating in Signs of the Seasons is used to create a detailed record of the seasonal changes in the region. This data is made available to collaborating scientists and resource managers for further analysis. The workshops are free to attend, but registration on the program website is required. For more information or to request reasonable accommodation, contact Keri Kaczor at keri.kaczor@maine.edu or Beth Bisson at beth.bisson@maine