Trails will be temporarily closed between Red Lock Trailhead and Brandywine Creek from Monday, March 3, to Friday, May 2, 2025 for installation of a new Brandywine Creek culvert. No detour is available.
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A ranger helps a citizen scientist release a bird during the park's 2016 BioBlitz.
NPS / Sue Simenc
Citizen scientists are people just like you who voluntarily collect data to answer real-world questions. In national parks, they contribute information that helps the National Park Service make decisions. Sometimes citizen scientists work side-by-side with professional scientists. Others might work independently for years, or contribute to a project at a single drop-in event. There is a debate over whether community science is a better term (since you don't need to be a citizen to participate), or if that means something a bit different. Regardless, all are welcome.
At Cuyahoga Valley, citizen scientists help survey and monitor different species in the park. The data they collect is reviewed by park scientists and added to nationwide databases.
The park is involved with several ongoing citizen science projects. Explore the articles below to learn how community and citizen scientists help Cuyahoga Valley and other national parks.
Locations:Acadia National Park, Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Amistad National Recreation Area, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Arches National Park, Assateague Island National Seashore, Big Bend National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Big Thicket National Preserve, Biscayne National Park, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Buffalo National River, Cape Cod National Seashore, Capitol Reef National Park, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Channel Islands National Park, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, City Of Rocks National Reserve, Colorado National Monument, Congaree National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Denali National Park & Preserve, Devils Tower National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument, Everglades National Park, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Gateway National Recreation Area, Glacier National Park, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Portage National Monument, Grand Teton National Park, Great Basin National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site, Homestead National Historical Park, Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Hot Springs National Park, Indiana Dunes National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Joshua Tree National Park, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Lowell National Historical Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, Monocacy National Battlefield, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Mount Rainier National Park, Natchez Trace Parkway, Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail, New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, Niobrara National Scenic River, North Cascades National Park, Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, Olympic National Park, Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Padre Island National Seashore, Petersburg National Battlefield, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Pinnacles National Park, Pipestone National Monument, Prince William Forest Park, Redwood National and State Parks, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River, Rock Creek Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Saguaro National Park, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Shenandoah National Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve, Tumacácori National Historical Park, Tuzigoot National Monument, Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River, Valles Caldera National Preserve, Voyageurs National Park, Weir Farm National Historical Park, Wind Cave National Park, Women's Rights National Historical Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Yucca House National Monument, Zion National Parkmore »
Offices:Air Resources Division, National Natural Landmarks Program, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate
Read the abstract and get the link to a published paper on a model to predict mercury risk park waterbodies: Kotalik, C.J. et al. 2025. Ecosystem drivers of freshwater mercury bioaccumulation are context-dependent: insights from continental-scale modeling. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c07280
Do you want to be a part of the Dragonfly Mercury Project? Find out how you can get involved in mercury research by collecting dragonfly larvae in national parks.
Bees, butterflies, and students star in this episode of Outside Science (inside parks). Follow our crew to Cuyahoga Valley National Park to see how young scientists are making a difference for pollinators.
It takes monarchs three or four generations to migrate from their overwintering grounds in central Mexico to their breeding habitat in the northern United States and Canada during the spring and summer. The last generation makes the entire return journey south to Mexico during the fall. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is part of a patchwork of vital habitats across North America supporting these intrepid travelers.
Peg Bobel has advocated for Cuyahoga Valley since the 1970s. As a Sierra Club leader, she was involved in park establishment, cleanup of the Beaver Marsh, and trail planning. As the executive director of Cuyahoga Valley Association, she supported the early cultural arts and Junior Ranger programs as well as the establishment of Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center. As an author and a citizen scientist, Peg has helped people to understand and enjoy Cuyahoga Valley.
Birding is a popular activity at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Thanks to the park’s wide variety of habitats, it is possible to observe more than 200 bird species throughout the year. Grab a field guide and a pair of binoculars and see what awaits your discovery.
