Absolutely! The USGS has partnerships with several citizen science programs that are appropriate for classroom projects, for individual students, or for anyone who wants a fun and rewarding activity. See the Citizen Science page on our USGS Education website.
Related Content
Does the USGS do classroom presentations?
The USGS has offices in every state, but education is not part of our mission and we do not have employees who go into the classroom as part of their job. Some employees, however, are willing to do so on their own time. If there is a USGS office in your town, you can try contacting them to ask about a speaker or presenter.
Does the USGS give teacher workshops?
The USGS does not have a formal program for teacher workshops, but USGS scientists sometimes participate in teacher workshops that are organized by universities or other education groups. Our USGS Education website lists both resources for use in the classroom and easily-understood resources that teachers can use to educate themselves.
Do you have lesson plans or activities for the classroom?
The USGS Education website is your gateway to classroom resources. Explore links to lesson plans, activities, educational videos, online lectures, posters, non-technical publications, and images for kindergarten through college. This site is an excellent resource for teachers, students, and anyone interested in learning. Our resources are organized by grade level and topic.
Does the USGS offer field trips or classes?
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) does not have a formal program for providing field trips or classes. USGS employees will sometimes lead field trips or teach classes that are organized by outside organizations, but those are not advertised by the USGS. The USGS has published numerous field-trip guides to geologic areas. Use our online Publications Warehouse to search for "field trip" or...
Does the USGS use volunteers to collect data?
Volunteers assist on some USGS projects. In all cases, the volunteers are carefully trained and are supervised by a federal employee while they work. To ensure quality-control, data collected by volunteers are checked by USGS supervisors. Volunteers must abide by the same rules, regulations, policies, and laws as employees.Some USGS volunteer opportunities are advertised at Volunteer.gov. Most of...
How do I contact the USGS?
For general science inquiries, call 1-888-392-8545. You can also use this website to send us a message or to initiate a live Web chat with a USGS Science Information Specialist. For questions on the distribution of federal park passes, maps, books and other science products, or the status of existing orders, call 1-888-275-8747 or visit the USGS Store website. Most of our employees are listed in...
Can I volunteer with the USGS?
Volunteer.gov is the best starting point for volunteer positions with the USGS and other federal agencies. However, many USGS volunteer positions are not formally announced, so they do not appear on that site. You can contact a local USGS office directly to ask about possible volunteer opportunities. Another way to get involved in USGS science is through one of our Citizen Science programs or...
Community and citizen science on the Elwha River: Past, present, and future
Highly specialized recreationists contribute the most to the citizen science project eBird
Translational science education through citizen science
Citizen science data collection for integrated wildlife population analyses
Citizen science can improve conservation science, natural resource management, and environmental protection
Teaching citizen science skills online: Implications for invasive species training programs
Related Content
- FAQ
Does the USGS do classroom presentations?
The USGS has offices in every state, but education is not part of our mission and we do not have employees who go into the classroom as part of their job. Some employees, however, are willing to do so on their own time. If there is a USGS office in your town, you can try contacting them to ask about a speaker or presenter.
Does the USGS give teacher workshops?
The USGS does not have a formal program for teacher workshops, but USGS scientists sometimes participate in teacher workshops that are organized by universities or other education groups. Our USGS Education website lists both resources for use in the classroom and easily-understood resources that teachers can use to educate themselves.
Do you have lesson plans or activities for the classroom?
The USGS Education website is your gateway to classroom resources. Explore links to lesson plans, activities, educational videos, online lectures, posters, non-technical publications, and images for kindergarten through college. This site is an excellent resource for teachers, students, and anyone interested in learning. Our resources are organized by grade level and topic.
Does the USGS offer field trips or classes?
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) does not have a formal program for providing field trips or classes. USGS employees will sometimes lead field trips or teach classes that are organized by outside organizations, but those are not advertised by the USGS. The USGS has published numerous field-trip guides to geologic areas. Use our online Publications Warehouse to search for "field trip" or...
Does the USGS use volunteers to collect data?
Volunteers assist on some USGS projects. In all cases, the volunteers are carefully trained and are supervised by a federal employee while they work. To ensure quality-control, data collected by volunteers are checked by USGS supervisors. Volunteers must abide by the same rules, regulations, policies, and laws as employees.Some USGS volunteer opportunities are advertised at Volunteer.gov. Most of...
How do I contact the USGS?
For general science inquiries, call 1-888-392-8545. You can also use this website to send us a message or to initiate a live Web chat with a USGS Science Information Specialist. For questions on the distribution of federal park passes, maps, books and other science products, or the status of existing orders, call 1-888-275-8747 or visit the USGS Store website. Most of our employees are listed in...
Can I volunteer with the USGS?
Volunteer.gov is the best starting point for volunteer positions with the USGS and other federal agencies. However, many USGS volunteer positions are not formally announced, so they do not appear on that site. You can contact a local USGS office directly to ask about possible volunteer opportunities. Another way to get involved in USGS science is through one of our Citizen Science programs or...
- Multimedia
- Publications
Community and citizen science on the Elwha River: Past, present, and future
This report reflects on the past, present, and potential future of community and citizen science (CCS) in the Elwha River watershed, with particular focus on the years before and after a major restoration event: the removal of two dams that had impacted the river system for a century. We ask: how does CCS feature in the Elwha story and how could it feature? We use the term CCS to reference the broAuthorsM. V. Eitzel, Sarah A. Morley, Chelsea Behymer, Ryan Meyer, Anna Kagley, Heidi L. Ballard, Christopher Jadallah, Jeffrey J. Duda, Laurel Jennings, Ian M. Miller, Justin Stapleton, Anne Shaffer, Allyce Miller, Patrick B. Shafroth, Barbara BlackieHighly specialized recreationists contribute the most to the citizen science project eBird
Contributory citizen science projects (hereafter “contributory projects”) are a powerful tool for avian conservation science. Large-scale projects such as eBird have produced data that have advanced science and contributed to many conservation applications. These projects also provide a means to engage the public in scientific data collection. A common challenge across contributory projects like eAuthorsConnor J. Rosenblatt, Ashley A. Dayer, Jennifer N. Duberstein, Tina B. Phillips, H. W. Harshaw, David C. Fulton, Nicholas Cole, Andrew H. Raedeke, Jonathan D. Rutter, Christopher L. WoodTranslational science education through citizen science
Guided by the six elements of Translational Ecology (TE; i.e., decision-framing, collaboration, engagement, commitment, process, and communication), we showcase the first explicit example of a Translational Science Education (TSE) effort in the coastal redwood ecosystem of Humboldt County, CA. Using iNaturalist, a flexible and free citizen science/crowdsourcing app, we worked with students from grAuthorsAllison M. Young, Elizabeth F. van Mantgem, Alexis Garretson, Christine Noel, Toni Lyn MorelliCitizen science data collection for integrated wildlife population analyses
Citizen science, or community science, has emerged as a cost-efficient method to collect data for wildlife monitoring. To inform research and conservation, citizen science sampling designs should collect data that match the robust statistical analyses needed to quantify species and population patterns. Further increasing the contributions of citizen science, integrating citizen science data with oAuthorsCatherine C. Sun, Jeremy E. Hurst, Angela K. FullerCitizen science can improve conservation science, natural resource management, and environmental protection
Citizen science has advanced science for hundreds of years, contributed to many peer-reviewed articles, and informed land management decisions and policies across the United States. Over the last 10 years, citizen science has grown immensely in the United States and many other countries. Here, we show how citizen science is a powerful tool for tackling many of the challenges faced in the field ofAuthorsDuncan C. McKinley, Abe J. Miller-Rushing, Heidi L. Ballard, Rick Bonney, Hutch Brown, Susan C. Cook-Patton, Daniel M. Evans, Rebecca A. French, Julia Parrish, Tina B. Phillips, Sean F. Ryan, Lea A. Shanley, Jennifer L. Shirk, Kristine F. Stepenuck, Jake F. Weltzin, Andrea Wiggins, Owen D. Boyle, Russell D. Briggs, Stuart F. Chapin, David A. Hewitt, Peter W. Preuss, Michael A. SoukupTeaching citizen science skills online: Implications for invasive species training programs
Citizen science programs are emerging as an efficient way to increase data collection and help monitor invasive species. Effective invasive species monitoring requires rigid data quality assurances if expensive control efforts are to be guided by volunteer data. To achieve data quality, effective online training is needed to improve field skills and reach large numbers of remote sentinel volunteerAuthorsG. Newman, A. Crall, M. Laituri, J. Graham, T. Stohlgren, J.C. Moore, K. Kodrich, K.A. Holfelder - News