March 26, 2023

One idea to keep it slow and simple… follow a natural lead

When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in the 1990s, they set off a chain of events that led the entire habitat to improve, from reinvigorated rivers to the return of certain plant life and populations of songbirds. It turns out that wolves, once believed only to be pests and predators, are a critical species in the area, keeping the elk population at levels that the local ecosystem can sustain, which affects every aspect of the land.

All ecosystems have their wolves, both literal and figurative. When one element of an ecosystem changes it ripples out into the land and sky and water.

In some cases, it’s easy to spot—a missing tree that turns the backyard quiet without its resident birds and squirrels. Or the new ecosystem that pops up within days of adding a bird feeder or bath.

Sometimes it takes us by surprise, as when honeybee colonies began to collapse in 2006, leading to mass outcry to save bees and all pollinators.

Changes are an inevitable part of nature’s cycle. When you notice them, you can follow the leads to make discoveries about the way the local flora and fauna—both human and not— interact to maintain earth into the future.

So, break out your observational skills. Because the clues are right in your own neighborhood. The lizard you’ve never seen before. The wildlife appearing closer and closer to the city. The new color around the edges of a leaf, dropped early.

Want to flex your “citizen science “ skills? See our links below for resources.

And some clickable fun—citizen science edition!

We love to discover and share, so we’ve added three cool clickables. And just so you know, when we list products, it’s just because we like them. We’re not sponsored by anything but our dreams and imaginations.

• NPR’s Life Kit gives you “8 simple ways you can help our native birds this spring” - including one of our favorites, buying shade-grown coffee to preserve trees (aka, bird homes).

• The Bee Conservancy has joined up with scientists and the iNaturalist app to invite the public to photograph pollinators and their habitats in your area—a huge help in the effort to save bee habitats. Learn about the community science project!

• Interested in other types of citizen science? The US government runs an entire website with a catalog of projects you can choose from. From logging your star viewing to watching for whales, testing local water, and locating lizards—there’s a citizen science project for you! Find local and online projects recruiting now.