What is citizen science?
Citizen science is scientific research conducted by volunteers.
Why should you get involved in a citizen science program?
- It connects you to people in your community with similar interests
- You get to collaborate with scientists and people who make decisions about your local environment
- You may have a unique skill set that adds value to a research project
- It gives you a sense of community and place
- Citizen science projects can collect large data sets in a short period time
- You can make a scientific discovery
- With good quality assurance and quality control, citizen science data can be just as good if not better that data collected by professionals
Current programs
River Detectives – Exploring local waterways with students
This hands-on program is an initiative of Catchment Management Authorities that supports teachers and leaders to connect young people to their local waterway.
Schools and youth community groups can apply to be a part of the program which, if successful, allows your group to lend a water quality monitoring kit, for the teacher or leader to attend training sessions and the ability to access more activities, resources and an interactive data recording portal on this website.
Spaces in the River Detectives program are limited. Applications generally open in November for the following school year.
How can I get involved?
Contact one of our Regional Citizen Science Officers on 1800 002 262 or email info@ccma.vic.gov.au
eNews
Keep up to date with environmental volunteering in the Corangamite region including the Waterwatch, EstuaryWatch and Western District Ramsar Lakes Photopoint monitoring programs. Learn how we track the health of waterways and catchments and discover community engagement events and opportunities happening across the region.
Past issues
26 March 2020 – Citizen science at home, Citizen science outside your back door
19 March 2020 – Your Safety, Pesticide Detectives, End of Year Report Card
10 December 2019 – How to find a platypus, Curdies Perch Search, Waterwatch and EstuaryWatch monitor survey results