Volunteers lean over to plant trees in grassy area of a forest in Hawai'i. These trees provide crucial habitat for native birds within the refuge.
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 those involve working from home or reporting observations that you make on your own time.
The USGS also collects data through volunteer citizen science programs.
Related
Can I volunteer with the USGS?
Do you have any citizen science programs in which my students can participate?
Can I join the USGS?
Where can I find information on employment with the USGS?
Do you have internships, summer positions, or volunteer positions for teachers or students?
How do I get USGS data?

Volunteers lean over to plant trees in grassy area of a forest in Hawai'i. These trees provide crucial habitat for native birds within the refuge.
USGS volunteer Liliana sampling eDNA from a rock pool along the Puka stream. The eDNA sampled by USGS field crews helps to inform research on invasive mosquito population dynamics.
USGS volunteer Liliana sampling eDNA from a rock pool along the Puka stream. The eDNA sampled by USGS field crews helps to inform research on invasive mosquito population dynamics.

Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery
Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery

The Smithsonian Natural History Museum offers hands-on learning experiences.
The Smithsonian Natural History Museum offers hands-on learning experiences.
USGS volunteer, Halle Poppaw, observes/counts members of a large bison group on TNC’s Medano Ranch. USGS photo by Kate Schoenecker.
USGS volunteer, Halle Poppaw, observes/counts members of a large bison group on TNC’s Medano Ranch. USGS photo by Kate Schoenecker.
Early cherry blossoms and flower blooms and record high temperatures nationwide highlight a phenomenon everyone already seems to know, but science has confirmed -- spring is coming earlier in the year almost everywhere. During this lecture, Dr.
Early cherry blossoms and flower blooms and record high temperatures nationwide highlight a phenomenon everyone already seems to know, but science has confirmed -- spring is coming earlier in the year almost everywhere. During this lecture, Dr.

A volunteer helps HVO staff complete maintenance on a monitoring site on Kīlauea Volcano.
A volunteer helps HVO staff complete maintenance on a monitoring site on Kīlauea Volcano.
Two Yupik Eskimo students from Chevak, Alaska holding a tundra swan cygnet. These student volunteers were helping with an annual USGS waterfowl banding program along the Kashunuk River near the Bering Sea coast in western Alaska.
Two Yupik Eskimo students from Chevak, Alaska holding a tundra swan cygnet. These student volunteers were helping with an annual USGS waterfowl banding program along the Kashunuk River near the Bering Sea coast in western Alaska.
USA-National Phenology Network citizen-scientist Lucille Tower records the one millionth observation on maple vine in the large nature database.
USA-National Phenology Network citizen-scientist Lucille Tower records the one millionth observation on maple vine in the large nature database.
Using citizen scientists to collect oxygen and hydrogen isotope data in southern Nevada
Sea otters in a California estuary: Detecting temporal and spatial dynamics with volunteer monitoring
Citizen scientists record novel leaf phenology of invasive shrubs in eastern U.S. forests
Crowdsourcing to Acquire Hydrologic Data and Engage Citizen Scientists: CrowdHydrology
Structures data collection for the national map using volunteered geographic information
Adopt a Frog Pond and Frog Force! Citizen scientists at large
Related
Can I volunteer with the USGS?
Do you have any citizen science programs in which my students can participate?
Can I join the USGS?
Where can I find information on employment with the USGS?
Do you have internships, summer positions, or volunteer positions for teachers or students?
How do I get USGS data?

Volunteers lean over to plant trees in grassy area of a forest in Hawai'i. These trees provide crucial habitat for native birds within the refuge.
Volunteers lean over to plant trees in grassy area of a forest in Hawai'i. These trees provide crucial habitat for native birds within the refuge.
USGS volunteer Liliana sampling eDNA from a rock pool along the Puka stream. The eDNA sampled by USGS field crews helps to inform research on invasive mosquito population dynamics.
USGS volunteer Liliana sampling eDNA from a rock pool along the Puka stream. The eDNA sampled by USGS field crews helps to inform research on invasive mosquito population dynamics.

Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery
Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery

The Smithsonian Natural History Museum offers hands-on learning experiences.
The Smithsonian Natural History Museum offers hands-on learning experiences.
USGS volunteer, Halle Poppaw, observes/counts members of a large bison group on TNC’s Medano Ranch. USGS photo by Kate Schoenecker.
USGS volunteer, Halle Poppaw, observes/counts members of a large bison group on TNC’s Medano Ranch. USGS photo by Kate Schoenecker.
Early cherry blossoms and flower blooms and record high temperatures nationwide highlight a phenomenon everyone already seems to know, but science has confirmed -- spring is coming earlier in the year almost everywhere. During this lecture, Dr.
Early cherry blossoms and flower blooms and record high temperatures nationwide highlight a phenomenon everyone already seems to know, but science has confirmed -- spring is coming earlier in the year almost everywhere. During this lecture, Dr.

A volunteer helps HVO staff complete maintenance on a monitoring site on Kīlauea Volcano.
A volunteer helps HVO staff complete maintenance on a monitoring site on Kīlauea Volcano.
Two Yupik Eskimo students from Chevak, Alaska holding a tundra swan cygnet. These student volunteers were helping with an annual USGS waterfowl banding program along the Kashunuk River near the Bering Sea coast in western Alaska.
Two Yupik Eskimo students from Chevak, Alaska holding a tundra swan cygnet. These student volunteers were helping with an annual USGS waterfowl banding program along the Kashunuk River near the Bering Sea coast in western Alaska.
USA-National Phenology Network citizen-scientist Lucille Tower records the one millionth observation on maple vine in the large nature database.
USA-National Phenology Network citizen-scientist Lucille Tower records the one millionth observation on maple vine in the large nature database.