First Unfurling

Springtime is awash with firsts. New life bursts forth from the dirt, the plants and animals. Births, regenerations, molecules splitting and duplicating, nature is busy bringing what was dull and drab throughout the winter to bright, light and colorful explosions.

I have been dutifully watching my phenology project for the last two months, urging those bland, hair thin, branch tips to do something so that I could report it on Nature’s Notebook.

I got started tracking those subtle changes of plants and animals around me more than five years ago when my local county extension agent, Amy Grotta, was holding a class regarding citizen science at the local library. Through Oregon State University, the class was able to go through the training (easy, fun and educational) and get certified to not only observe phenology but be part of the network to document the results. It was during this same class when I had became an official CoCoRaHS observer where I record the daily rainfall, snow levels, and ground moisture.

We lost our beloved Amy last year to cancer. So now when I make my observations and record the outcomes, it feels that this is a small but significant tribute to Amy who lived, loved, worked, played and shared her experiences of the natural world with us.

Now, much of the training is on-line and more people across the United States and Canada ( and now across the planet) are reporting on a consistent basis. You may ask why does it matter when our data is nothing more than casual observation.

The answer is that we are all unique, every single one of us. My neighbor who may be observing the same rainfall, or the same kind of plant, or the same woodchuck as I am, may have slightly different totals or times or stages than I do.  It is the years of data  with many observers that show the patterns.  Reporters don’t have to be landowners to be observers, changes can be noted from the local park by those who live in apartments or community housing. Over the years of reporting, I can compare the graphs from less than one mile up the road.   My fellow observers are reporting from closer to a tall bluff that bends weather systems slightly and that their elevation is lower than mine, some differences are minuscule and others stand out obviously.

Training and signing up to become a citizen scientist is a thing that a single person or entire families can do and I have linked the websites to their titles in this story. You may want to become a Citizen Scientist too.

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