Have you ever wanted to conduct scientific research? Or just wanted an excuse to go for a walk in the woods? Community science gives everyone the opportunity to spend time outdoors, to learn about biology, and to contribute to the meaningful goal of understanding the natural world around us.

Probably our biggest community science effort in the last few years has been to launch two annual dragonfly counts, the Clifton Institute Dragonfly Count and Rappahannock County Dragonfly Count, each of which are held in June. Our goals are to monitor the populations of these charismatic and readily identified insects and to generate interest in dragonflies and damselflies. For these counts we work with volunteers to survey a 10-mile-diameter circle for dragonflies and damselflies. Both count circles have a wide variety of wetland habitats and we’ve recorded a remarkable diversity of dragonflies. We are always looking for volunteers so just let us know if you’d like to join! You can see the the data here:

Clifton Institute Dragonfly Count Data

Rappahannock County Dragonfly Count Data

We also participate in two nation-wide counts, North American Butterfly Association butterfly count that’s held every July, and a Christmas Bird Count every December. We will be posting the data from these counts soon!

You can also contribute to science by submitting observations to our iNaturalist project (you can check out recent observations to the right). Or you can submit checklists to our eBird hotspot, which is currently the most diverse hotspot in Fauquier County!