Citizen Science and Butterfly Monitoring Training at Eagle Marsh

Perhaps now, more than ever, citizen science is crucial. As budgets are cut for research, training programs, and scientific positions are being eliminated citizen science is a research enhancer that is vitally needed. Citizen science place a big role in the nature community of Northeast Indiana. The preserves, city and county parks, land trusts, and universites all work together to gather information n the state of the environment in Northeast Indiana. 
 
Each project has a different reporting agency. The agency, a university or scientific institute provides the protocol for standardized gather of information and reporting of the information. The training prepares citizens who are not formal scientist to provide scientist data so they can assess the health of the environment. 
 
At Eagle Marsh the projects have included assessing bats, birds, bird nest boxes, turtles, and invasive plants. Two programs that are similar but differ in protocol and the breadth of their subject foci are Monarch Butterfly Monitoring and Butterfly Monitoring. On June 14, 2025, Russ Voorhees provided training in Butterfly Monitoring. 
 
The training incudes life span and development, butterfly identification, the protocols for recording and reporting data. The lead agency for this project is the Michigan Butterfly Network. Russ also provided useful charts on identification as well as exhibiting useful field manuals. The program requires a minimum of one hour a week in the field for a minimum of six eeks. If you are interested in combining science and the beauty of nature, contact Eagle Marsh and tell them you would like to be trained as a butterfly monitor. The embedded video is an edited version of Russ’s training. ​

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