Citizen Science Programs in State Parks

By America's State Parks Editorial TeamFebruary 28, 2026

Citizen science empowers every park visitor with a smartphone to contribute valuable data to real scientific research. From documenting bird species to tracking wildflower bloom times, these programs turn your park visit into a contribution to conservation.

Popular Programs

iNaturalist: Photograph any plant, animal, or fungus and upload it to the iNaturalist app. AI helps identify your observation, and scientists worldwide use the data for biodiversity research. Many state parks host BioBlitz events where volunteers try to document every species in a park within 24 hours.

eBird: Cornell Lab’s bird observation platform lets you log every bird you see or hear. Your data helps track migration patterns, population trends, and habitat changes across the continent.

Nature’s Notebook: Track seasonal events like first bloom, leaf-out, and animal activity to help scientists understand how climate change affects ecosystems.

About the Author

America's State Parks Editorial Team

America's State Parks is an independent online guide to state parks and other public lands in the United States. Our editorial team compiles park profiles from official agency and operator sources and other identified references, and follows our published editorial policy and review methodology. Where a profile shows a source-check date, that date applies to the detail it names. We correct errors when we find them or when readers report them.