Citizen Science at Big Cypress

Seacrest Country Day School students search their dip net catch for dragonfly nymphs.

NPS Photo

What is citizen science? Citizen science uses the collective strength of communities and the public to identify research questions, collect and analyze data, interpret results, make new discoveries, and develop technologies and applications – all to understand and solve environmental problems. Through citizen science, people share and contribute to data monitoring and collection programs.

You do not need to be a trained scientist to participate! If you are curious, check out the current catalogue of federal projects looking for your support. From bird watching in your back yard to photographing beach erosion to data entry,
there is a spot for you.

 

Once the nymphs are caught, they are identified and catalogued.

NPS photo

Big Cypress National Preserve has partnered with Seacrest Country Day School’s 7^th and 8^th grade classes to contribute to the Dragonfly Mercury Project, a nationwide program that pairs scientific efforts to understand mercury pollution risks with public engagement and education. Researchers from the University of Maine determined that aquatic dragonfly nymphs, the juvenile stage of adult dragonflies, contain mercury levels representative of their wetland environments.

Since 2012, the students visit the preserve each winter and literally get their feet (and sometimes knees) wet, assisting park rangers in collecting and identifying dragonfly nymphs. The samples are then sent to a USGS laboratory for analysis and inclusion in the study. Mercury concentrations were found to vary from one National Park Service unit to another, with eastern units generally containing higher mercury levels than western units.

Last year the program was broadened to include protected places outside of national parks, for a total of 120 sites across the country- a successful gathering of data due to the commitment of over 5,000 citizen scientists participating over the last eleven years! Within the National Park Service this project is housed under the Air Resources Division.