Citizen Science Initiative

A citizen scientist is someone who voluntarily contributes his or her time, effort and resources toward scientific research. The BLM uses citizen science in a variety of program areas, such as the Archaeology Site Stewards and Paleontology program in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, and the Coastal Wildlife Disturbance project in California. 

Citizen science in the federal community is growing. The BLM is currently engaged in a citizen science pilot program to strengthen scientific engagement with the public and establish citizen science as standard practice across the agency.

For more information, the Federal Community of Practice for Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science (FCPCCS) and the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) have created a toolkit at https://www.citizenscience.gov/toolkit/#  that provides steps to plan, design and implement citizen science projects. 

Featured Video

BLM and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and birders in the Boise, Idaho area head out on a raptor research expedition. The group visited nesting areas in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area.