Signs of the Seasons: A New England Phenology Monitoring Program

Signs of the Seasons is a citizen science environmental monitoring program which began in 2010. Participants help scientists document the local effects of global climate change by observing and recording the phenology (seasonal changes) of common plants and animals living in their own backyards and communities. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant coordinate the program in partnership with the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN), Acadia National Park, Schoodic Education and Research Center, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Maine Maritime Academy, Maine Audubon, the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, and climate scientists and educators at the University of Maine. Current participants include Master Gardeners and 4-H Youth Development groups affiliated with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, K-12 teachers and students, coastal environmental monitoring groups, and interested individuals from many parts of the state. In 2013, the New Hampshire Sea Grant and Cooperative Extension Programs at the University of New Hampshire joined with Maine as regional Signs of the Seasons program managers, and they have engaged a slate of similar partners, outreach audiences and research collaborators in New Hampshire.

Please visit the project website to learn more about Signs of the Seasons, or to sign up as a phenology observer, or contact Esperanza Stancioff or Beth Bisson for more information.