All across America, everyday people of all ages engage in citizen science, projects where volunteers and scientists work together to answer important questions about the natural world. Participating in citizen science is an accessible way to increase overall environmental awareness and can lead to increased support for conservation efforts.
Enhance your enjoyment of nature and deepen your knowledge of native plants by becoming a Citizen Scientist in your own yard, local park or forest preserve. There are many ways to record your interactions with nature, ranging from the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, to posting observations on iNaturalist, or you can even become a dragonfly, frog or butterfly monitor. Jeff Weiss will share stories about important discoveries that were made by local citizen scientists, and offer a range of fun and practical ideas for nature study based on his experience as a teacher, volunteer steward and ecologist, with a focus on native plants.
About Our Speaker
Jeff Weiss is an ecologist who lives in Buffalo Grove and is currently a board member of the Lake-to-Prairie Wild Ones. He earned a master’s degree in natural resources and environmental science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has taught native plant propagation and ecology classes at College of Lake County and The Morton Arboretum. He is an active volunteer steward and leader of the Buffalo Grove Prairie Guardians.