Diario del proyecto EcoSpark Participant Observations

About This Project

Participants in EcoSpark's citizen science programs and anyone interested in exploring our community data are invited to use this Project Page. Add observations of nearby nature from your schools, parks, backyards, and anywhere across Ontario, Canada. We will post community challenges in this journal to help answer questions about the local environment. Stay tuned as we explore stream ecology, track pollinators, map tree data, and more!

About Us

EcoSpark is an environmental charity whose mission is to empower communities to take an active role in protecting and sustaining their local environment. We do this by giving people the tools for education, monitoring and influencing positive change.

Since 1996, EcoSpark has connected people to their local environment through education, monitoring and stewardship. We have a strong reputation in the areas of community engagement, education, citizen science, facilitation and collaboration. To date, we have directly worked with over 80,000 people from across Southern Ontario in over 20 watersheds.

Our long term goal is to spark life-long environmental action in our volunteers and participants through our local, outdoor, experiential programs that inspire people to learn and to take action to benefit their local environment.

Learn more and register for programs at www.ecospark.ca

Celebrate this milestone Earth Day 2020 with activities you can do from home. This week, EcoSpark encourages iNaturalist participants to contribute sightings of nearby nature. Keep your senses tuned to the wildlife nearest your own location.

Are there migratory birds arriving in your neighbourhood? Have wild weeds invaded your garden? What insects can you discover in windowsills and corners of your home when you take a close look? You never know what you might find! Citizen scientists have identified new species in their homes and backyards whenever they've taken the time to examine these under-your-nose locations.

What are citizen scientists around the world noticing as human activity has altered in response to the Covid-19 pandemic? We will be looking at new observations in iNaturalist, including the City Nature Challenge (Apr. 24-27) and the Wildlife of Homes projects, to explore what sightings and animal behaviors might differ from past Earth Days.

Cameras ready! Check out these projects as you submit your nearby nature observations:
Never Home Alone: The Wildlife of Homes: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/never-home-alone-the-wild-life-of-homes
City Nature Challenge: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020

For more ideas from EcoSpark to engage your family in citizen science activities at home, view our Sidewalk Science Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6-aW_esIZA

Did you know that scientists use data about when and where dandelions bloom to study climate change patterns? We want to learn whether earlier springs mean earlier blooms, for example. Now you can be the scientist!

This time of year dandelions are everywhere, seeking sun. The direction a plant faces is called its aspect. Are there more blooming on the (sunny) north side or (shady) south side of your street? (Fun tip: house numbers on the north side of Toronto streets are even, south side are odd.)

EcoSpark challenges you to submit dated photos of blooming dandelions to iNaturalist!

Add these notes:
Plant is facing (aspect): North - South - East - West
Exposure to light: sunny and open area - in half shade - shaded all day
Plants are found: on flat land - on a gentle slope - on a steep slope

Project adapted from PlantWatch: https://www.naturewatch.ca/plantwatch/dandelion/