Citizen Science Projects: Must love bugs!
Citizen Science Projects: Must love bugs!
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug - The Jentsch Lab. Otherwise known as Halyomorpha halys, this invasive species lives right here in our backyards throughout New York State. Once found in Asia and now rampant throughout the Hudson Valley, you may have experienced these critters hanging out in your home in the fall and early spring. While they are a nuisance to homeowners, they are detrimental to agriculture and disrupt ecosystems. In collaboration with Cornell University’s entomology dept, this awesome project tracks these little freshies and protects our local agriculture.
Water Quality Assessment via macroinvertebrates! What do bugs tell us about our local water quality? Conduct a simple, hands-on macroinvertebrate survey and find out! In all my years of teaching science, this is by far, one of my favorite science investigations!
This family activity teaches kids how to assess the water quality in their local communities. A thriving ecosystem can be measured by its biodiversity - various species from micro to macro – the seen and the unseen.
The Science:
Macro (visible to the naked eye)
Invertebrate (without a backbone)
How healthy are our streams? Think of macroinvertebrates as clues. Their presence or absence can indicate clean or dirty water in our local streams, lakes, and rivers. I love this simple activity because it immerses kids in nature while providing a field experience where they monitor water quality in their own backyards. There are so many different macroinvertebrates. My favorite is the caddisfly - this macro actually builds a “retreat” to hide out, composed of tiny pebbles, sand, and debris!
Materials: Net, ice cube trays (for sorting macros), bin, spoon, identification guide or phone (variety of google links for identifying macroinvertebrates)
Set-Up: Find macros along the banks of streams. Rocky/shallow locations are ideal for setting up a collection site with young kids.
What to do: Keep it simple!
Fill a bin and ice cube tray with water
Use a net to collect macroinvertebrates alongside banks, rocks and leaves.
When you have a good selection, carefully transport them to the bin and place them in ice cube trays. It’s great fun trying to identify them!
Use a field guide to identify the different species living in your local freshwater ecosystems. Of course, return these gentle giants to nature once your sampling is complete!
Know before you go: Leave nature in nature! - Do not remove, keep, store any living things. ALWAYS contact the Department of Conservation or US Environmental Protection Agency to verify the laws and regulations for your local county prior to sampling.
Tangential Science Teacher Rant: I legit get giddy every time I walk down the hallway of my middle school to a water fountain – a modern, filtered water system to use anytime I want. It’s more than the typical water fountain we had growing up: these are free-flowing, cold, clean, good tasting water – I love it when my students ask me if they can go fill up their water bottles. I feel privileged to have such access, but with that awareness comes a responsibility to monitor consumption and not take it for granted.
Explore More:
Check out the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to learn about the citizen science project WAVE (Water Assessments by Volunteer Evaluators).
Check out “A Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor”, a health snapshot of the Hudson River
Community Clean-Ups, such as “Stash the Trash”, are a great way to help our youngest community members care for their environment. Simple actions lead to radical shifts on a global scale.
USGS Water Use Survey: As a science teacher, I love data-driven analysis! This simple survey can be filled in online to track your water use and make changes as a family. (The US EPA is another strong resource for monitoring personal water use). Raising consciousness of water use is the first step toward reducing energy waste.
