What is Citizen Science?
National Geographic defines Citizen Science as “the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge.” (National Geographic, n.d.).
At Ruthven Park citizen science is a crucial component of our daily operation and takes multiple forms depending on the subject or species being studied. See below for the platforms that citizen scientists at Ruthven Park contribute to
eBird
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eBird is a citizen science app and platform that is used by birdwatchers of all skill levels around the globe. Every year more than 100 million bird sightings are reported and it is one of the largest collections of publicly reported data in the world (eBird, n.d.).
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At Ruthven Park we have been using eBird for a number of years to record visual observation and bird banding data. Visitors are encouraged to birdwatch at Ruthven Park and report any sightings to eBird.
iNaturalist
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“iNaturalist is an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature” (iNaturalist, n.d.).
Founded as a student project in 2008, this platform has gone on to be synonymous with naturalists and nature enthusiasts around the globe. Through the process of data submission and review, iNaturalist has become one of the go-to platforms for species identification and reporting.
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Ruthven Park has a project on iNaturalist that includes all sightings reported within our property boundaries. Use the Seek by iNaturalist app or the iNaturalist app to report your sightings the next time you visit the park.
Photo Monitoring
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Photo monitoring is the use of stationary photography posts to track the changes of a targeted landscape over time.
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Ruthven Park will be installing stationary photo posts in the Butterfly Meadow for visitors to use in 2026.
Visitors can send all photos taken using these posts to edu-eco@ruthvenpark.ca.