Volunteer Projects
Bluebird Study
Jay Burtka is a graduate student at OSU working on her Master’s degree.
She is searching for volunteers for this summer.
“I study the variation in nest defense behavior in Eastern Bluebirds and I have 144 nest boxes set up in Payne County.
I really need help monitoring every trail twice a week, checking a bunch of boxes daily for eggs, hatching, or fledging, assistance with capturing birds for nest defense trials with mist-nets or repeating traps and assistance with capturing adults, banding, and measuring nestlings.
I provide training for all volunteers (no experience necessary) and the scheduling is very, very flexible (and people can commit to however many hours they want!).”
This would be a great opportunity for anyone who might have free time this summer.
It would also be a great opportunity to see how scientists gain knowledge about species.
Here is Jay’s contact info:
Jennifer (Jay) Burtka
Oklahoma State University
Department of Zoology
(405) 620-6033
jay.burtka@okstate.edu
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – Monitoring
Various sites throughout Oklahoma
Project Dates: Continuous throughout year.
Project Description: Perform Partners for Wildlife habitat restoration site monitoring visits (not only wetlands). Meet land owners or site managers, make observations and fill out forms documenting wetland or habitat condition, submit reports to Jerry & Jean Henderson for USF&WS. Reimbursement for mileage @ 55 cents per mile. Great opportunity to meet landowners also trying to help wildlife.
OMN Project Managers: Jerry & Jean Henderson, (405) 348-0905
jhenderson17@cox.net
jeanhenderson@cox.net
Songbird Nest Box Monitoring
Martin Park, 5000 West Memorial Road, OKC
Project Description: Monitor songbird nest boxes to record what birds are nesting and remove nests of invasive English House sparrows. Flexible schedule once a week.
OMN Project Manager: Gail Panza (405) 844-7659
Spider WebWatch
Spider WebWatch is a biodiversity monitoring effort for biologists, naturalists, educators, students and anyone else with a strong interest in spiders. From more than 4,400 species of spiders in North America, 9 were chosen as eight-legged ambassadors. Learn to identify the spiders below, view the sighting reports, and read some active discussions.
Project BudBurst
Join thousands of others in gathering valuable environmental and climate change information from across the country. Project BudBurst engages the public in making careful observations of the phenophases such as first leafing, first flower, and first fruit ripening of a diversity of trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses in their local area.
Nestwatch
Anyone can monitor nests – it’s a rewarding way to spend time outdoors and participate in science. NestWatch is a continent wide citizen-science project and nest-monitoring database of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, funded by the National Science Foundation and developed in collaboration with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.
Great Sunflower Project
Join the Hunt for Bees!
By watching and recording the bees at sunflowers in your garden, you can help understand the challenges that bees are facing.. Do join us!
It takes less than 30 minutes. It’s easy. No knowledge of bees required!
Enter your bee counts online or send it in paper form.