Want to explore the natural world and simultaneously contribute to science? Then join the global community science movement. Also called citizen science, the idea is simply that one does not need to have scientific training to contribute to our understanding of the natural world. Museum scientists, independent naturalists, and outside organizations have created numerous projects aimed at helping scientists better understand our world.
Want to know how you or your class can participate in community science projects? Or how to use the popular, free website and app iNaturalist? We have plenty of resources (in English and Spanish) that can help.
Already experienced? Like to learn by doing? Check out any of the projects below and see what you can do!
Take part in Snapshot Cal Coast and add to research supporting the health of California Marine Protected Areas.
Snapshot Cal Coast is an annual statewide California community science effort, from San Diego to Del Norte and everywhere in between. Take part and add to research supporting the health of California Marine Protected Areas. Get outside anywhere along the coast of California between June 17 through July 9 and take photos of wild plants and animals and upload them to the iNaturalist app or website, iNaturalist.org.
Getting started in a snap:
Join our partners, the Coronado Public Library ,at the beach and library staff will teach you how to use iNaturalist so you can contribute to the Snapshot Cal Coast project.
Download the free iNaturalist app and bring your smart device to participate in the Snapshot Cal Coast project. Look for the Library's green pop-up near the main lifeguard tower. They will have museum specimens on display for folks to view! Learn more.
Learn more
Take photos of reptiles and amphibians you spot in Southern California and Baja California and upload them to iNaturalist. Suggest an identification or have them identified by the iNaturalist community.
Take photos of wild plants you come across in San Diego County and upload them to the San Diego County Plant Atlas project on iNaturalist. Suggest an identification or have them identified by the iNaturalist community.
Help The Nat and regional scientists learn more about the charming and elusive California flying squirrel. Participants residing in the San Bernardino Mountains may be eligible to install a camera in their yard to capture images of this nocturnal creature.
San Diego County's bumblebees are threatened—but you can help. Take photos of bumblebees you see locally, and upload to the Bumblebees of San Diego County project on iNaturalist. Suggest an identification or have them identified by the iNaturalist community. Your observations will help museum scientists better understand these important insects.
We need your help documenting Imperial County plants. Take photos of wild plants you come across while in Imperial County and upload them to the Imperial County Plant project on iNaturalist. Suggest an identification or have them identified by the iNaturalist community.
San Diego is home to more than 150 canyons. These spaces provide important benefits for people, plants, and animals. In fact, our canyons are home to 85 rare, threatened, and endangered species. Find out how we're working with locals to health-check our canyons.
Monarch populations are in serious decline. In the west, they used to number in the millions—but recently, numbers have plummeted to tens of thousands, likely due to pesticide use, climate change, and loss of native milkweed habitat. This winter, take photos of monarchs and milkweed to help scientists better understand monarch butterflies and their host plants across the Western U.S. Share your sightings of monarchs and milkweeds on the Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper.
Our research is binational. We need your help in the Baja California Peninsula, too.
Help improve knowledge of Baja California plants. Snap photos of wild plants when on the Baja California peninsula or its adjacent islands. Upload your photos to the Flora de Baja California iNaturalist project.
Spiders, scorpions, sun spiders, and more. If it has eight legs and you spot it in Baja California or Baja California Sur, then take a photo and post it to the Arachnids of Peninsular California iNaturalist project.
Help science and document change in the plants and animals found on the U.S. – Mexico border. The Border BioBlitz enters its sixth year as a binational effort to record the diversity of plants and animals found in our shared borderlands. Individuals can photograph wildlife observations and upload them to the community science app (or website) iNaturalist throughout the month of April. This ongoing endeavor continues to help us learn more about the wildlife in our region, and how they are changing over time. See the 2023 project on iNaturalist.
Friday, April 26 - Monday, April 29, join us in this four-day international collaboration and help spot nature across our globe. It's easy, all you have to do is use the iNaturalist app or website. It's an excellent way to tap into the nearby nature we share space with daily. San Diego County is an incredibly biodiverse place, so finding lots of insects, plants, birds, and other wildlife should be a cinch. Plus, it helps science—a win-win! See the results from 2023.
How do you use iNaturalist? How do our scientists use your observations? We have resources you can use for any community science project , or you can learn more about participating in the Challenge specifically.
View results and project summaries of past citizen science projects, including City Nature Challenges and Border BioBlitz. Learn more.
See the results of Snapshot Cal Coast 2022.
How are events like Border BioBlitz helping researchers? Find out in this story written by Dr. Sula Vanderplank. Disponible en español.