Citizen Science
Enjoy spending time in nature and learning about the world around you? You may be interested in becoming a Citizen Scientist.
There is no single agreed upon definition of a Citizen Scientist, but it usually refers to someone who collects data or otherwise contributes to a scientific project without formal education or employment.
As a local charity, EALT relies extensively on the help of our dedicated volunteers. Our Citizen Scientist volunteers monitor wildlife and contribute to increased scientific knowledge of plant and animal species. Visiting our conservation lands with another trained partner, Citizen Scientists have an opportunity to conduct their surveys on a schedule that works for them, and contribute to conservation in meaningful ways.
Currently, EALT offers the following Citizen Science activities. Scroll down to read about each opportunity.
Amphibian Monitoring
Bat Box Monitoring
Bird Surveying (Previously Loon Surveying)
Butterfly Surveying
Field Ornithology
Amphibian Monitoring
As cold blooded animals that rely on their environment to control their body temperature, amphibians face unique challenges to surviving in our northern climate. Their porous skin makes them vulnerable to contaminants in their environments, which also makes them good indicator species for environmental health. An environment where amphibians can survive and reproduce is generally a healthy one.
There are 10 species of amphibians found in Alberta, five of which may be found in the Edmonton region. These five are the tiger salamander, boreal chorus frog, wood frog, boreal toad, and Canadian toad. Of these, the Canadian toad and the boreal toad are listed species under Alberta General Status. EALT lands frequently contain wetlands and small waterbodies that have the potential to support amphibian life cycles.
What does the program involve?
You will visit the site with a partner three times during the period of April 25 to June 30, and will record data on amphibian presence or absence, numbers of adults, larvae, and eggs. There will be two types of surveys that occur at different times. Two audio surveys will occur after dark, during which you will survey 2-3 wetlands for calling amphibians for 5 minutes each. The third survey will be a daytime visual survey, where you walk around a wetland searching for amphibians of various ages.
Total commitment is approximately 3 hours per visit (including driving time).
The information you collect will not only help EALT in our monitoring and management decisions, but will also be submitted to the Alberta Volunteer Amphibian Monitoring Program and the Fisheries and Wildlife Management Information System (FWMIS) to monitor amphibian populations across the province.
By monitoring amphibians at Glory Hills, Golden Ranches, the Lu Carbyn Nature Sanctuary, JBJ McDonald, and the Smith Blackburn Homestead, you can help make a lasting impact on amphibian conservation.
How can I join?
Amphibian Monitoring volunteers are recruited once per year between January-March. Applications will be reviewed and candidates notified by early April. Participants must complete the mandatory online training in early April, and attend an online amphibian identification presentation on an evening in April. Surveys will commence late April.
2024 applications for the Citizen Science program are now closed. Fill out the form below to be notified when applications open for 2025.
For more information about EALT and this program please email Meghan at meghan.jacklin@ealt.ca.
Not able to make the commitment? Sign up for our volunteer newsletter to receive details about our upcoming group volunteer events and volunteer-from-home opportunities.
Bat Box Monitoring
Of Alberta’s nine bat species, over half are of conservation concern and two are federally endangered. Bat populations in Alberta and throughout Canada are threatened by the loss of roosting and foraging habitats and white nose syndrome. White-nose syndrome is caused by a fungus that disturbs bats during hibernation and causes them to die early from starvation and dehydration, and the fungus that causes this syndrome has recently been detected for the first time in Alberta. White-nose syndrome is spreading rapidly through North America with devastating impacts on bat populations.
What does the program involve?
EALT has installed almost 20 bat boxes on our conservation lands to provide additional roosting habitat for bats, primarily the little brown bat.
At nighttime site visits, you will conduct exit surveys with a partner to count the number of bats that exit the bat boxes, beginning 15 minutes before sunset for a total of 1 hour. Total commitment is approximately 3 hours per visit (including driving time). Two visits must occur between June 1 and July 15 and two more between July 15 and August 15.
In order to collect valuable data on the spread of white-nose syndrome, there may be the opportunity to collect bat guano as part of this activity. Guano may be tested for the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, diet analysis, or DNA analysis.
The information you collect will not only help EALT in our monitoring and management decisions, but will also be submitted to the Alberta Community Bat Program to track bat populations across the province.
By monitoring the bat boxes at Boisvert’s GreenWoods, Bunchberry Meadows, Glory Hills, Golden Ranches, Hicks, Larch Sanctuary, Pipestone Creek, or the Smith Blackburn Homestead, you can help make a lasting impact on bat conservation.
How can I join?
Bat Box Monitoring volunteers are recruited once per year between January-April. Applications will be reviewed and candidates notified by early May. Participants must complete the mandatory online training in April-May. Surveys will commence in June.
2024 applications for the Citizen Science program are now closed. Fill out the form below to be notified when applications open for 2025.
For more information about EALT and this program please email Meghan at meghan.jacklin@ealt.ca.
Not able to make the commitment? Sign up for our volunteer newsletter to receive details about our upcoming group volunteer events and volunteer-from-home opportunities.
Bird Surveying (Previously Loon Surveying)
Many bird species in Alberta are in decline, and have been for decades. Birds are great indicators of environmental issues, and are impacted by habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, and excessive pesticide use. Loons in particular are affected by pollution in their environment, and are great indicators of environmental health.
Since 2012, EALT staff and volunteers have recorded the presence of Loons at EALT sites. Loons have been observed on lakes at Glory Hills - maskihkîy meskanaw, JBJ McDonald, and the Smith Blackburn Homestead, and confirmed breeding at the Lu Carbyn Nature Sanctuary. In 2015, EALT installed a loon nesting platform at Glory Hills to support successful nesting. Although loons are observed at EALT sites, sightings are sometimes sporadic, and volunteers will not always see loons. However, the data collected is still valuable.
In 2024, this activity is being expanded to include collecting a general bird list while completing your survey. This list will be submitted directly to eBird, and some experience with bird identification is required.
What does the program involve?
You will visit the site with a partner once per month from June to August, and will record data on Common Loon presence or absence, numbers of adults, and numbers of juveniles, as well as document other bird species present during your survey. Total commitment is minimum 1 hour per visit (excluding driving time).
The information you collect will not only help EALT in our monitoring and management decisions, but will also be submitted to Birds Canada to track Common Loon populations across the province and to inform management.
By completing bird surveys at Glory Hills, the Lu Carbyn Nature Sanctuary, JBJ McDonald, or the Smith Blackburn Homestead, you can help make a lasting impact on bird conservation.
How can I join?
Bird Surveying volunteers are recruited once per year between January-April. Applications will be reviewed and candidates notified by early May. Participants must complete the mandatory online training in April-May. Surveys will commence in May or June.
2024 applications for the Citizen Science program are now closed. Fill out the form below to be notified when applications open for 2025.
For more information about EALT and this program please email Meghan at meghan.jacklin@ealt.ca.
Not able to make the commitment? Sign up for our volunteer newsletter to receive details about our upcoming group volunteer events and volunteer-from-home opportunities.
For more information about Loon Surveys and their history in Canada please visit www.birdscanada.org/bird-science/canadian-lakes-loon-survey/. You can also read the 40-year report of loon survey data collected by Birds Canada, or watch the video below to learn more about the program that you are contributing to as a loon surveying volunteer.
Want to learn more about how you can help Common Loons while recreating outdoors? View this factsheet by the Loon & Diver Stewardship Working Group.
Butterfly Surveying
Insects may be small, but they are essential to healthy ecosystems. Butterflies are important pollinators of native plants, using their long mouthparts to feed from deep flowers. They are also an important part of the food chain, and feed larger animals like birds. In order to better understand the butterfly species living in the Edmonton region, volunteers will survey butterflies through pollard walks.
What does the program involve?
You will visit the site with a partner once per month in June, July, and August to complete a Pollard Walk. You will walk the survey route identifying any butterfly species seen, catching them for observation if necessary.
Total commitment is approximately 2 hours per visit (excluding driving time).
The information you collect will not only help EALT in our monitoring and management decisions, but will also be submitted to other databases.
By monitoring butterflies at Bunchberry Meadows, Golden Ranches, Hicks, Pipestone Creek, and the Smith Blackburn Homestead, you can help make a lasting impact on insect conservation.
How can I join?
Butterfly Surveying volunteers are recruited once per year between January-April. Applications will be reviewed and candidates notified by early May. Participants must complete the mandatory online training in April-May. An online butterfly identification presentation may be available in May in the evening, date TBA. Surveys will commence in June.
2024 applications for the Citizen Science program are now closed. Fill out the form below to be notified when applications open for 2025.
For more information about EALT and this program please email Meghan at meghan.jacklin@ealt.ca.
Not able to make the commitment? Sign up for our volunteer newsletter to receive details about our upcoming group volunteer events and volunteer-from-home opportunities.
Field Ornithology
Many songbird species have been in decline for decades. There are numerous reasons associated with their population declines, but because many songbirds are migratory, it can be hard to pinpoint reasons for decline in individual species. Field Ornithology is one way to study the reasons for population decline due to valuable information that can only be collected in-hand. In 2022, EALT established a Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) station which collects data about local breeding birds and can reveal issues in the breeding territory at Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area, just west of the City of Edmonton, which is co-owned and managed by EALT and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. The station is known as the Devonian Parkland Banding Station (DPBS).
What does the program involve?
A station manager arranges for six banding days in June to August, led by a Bander-in-Charge. Nets are set up the afternoon prior to each banding day, and taken down immediately after banding. Volunteers use SignUp to register for banding days and setup days and training is provided on site. Some positions require experience.
Volunteers are expected to commit to assisting with at least two banding sessions.
The information you collect will not only help EALT in our monitoring and management decisions, but will also be submitted to the institute for Bird Populations and the Canadian Bird Banding Office so that researchers may access it for further studies.
By assisting with bird banding at the Devonian Parkland Banding Station, you can help make a lasting impact on bird conservation.
How can I join?
Contact Norm (Station Manager) at dpbs.maps@gmail.com to request more information.
Other Citizen Science
While you are out visiting our conservation lands, why not record the species that you observe? Use the forms below to submit your observations to EALT.
You can email your completed forms to Meghan at meghan.jacklin@ealt.ca.
Submit Your Findings to Other Groups
We also encourage you to submit your bird and butterfly observations on eBird or eButterfly.
While submitting to eBird, please share your list with EALT as well (user: Edmonton and Area Land Trust). Your finds can help inform our conservation team!
Help With Identification
Not sure what species you have found? We have several Identification Guides that you can use to identify your sightings, plus suggestions for useful apps for reporting and identifying your nature finds.