Community Science

Our community science programs are an important part of our strategic vision to engage the public in science and nature and to protect the biodiversity and natural resources of the Duke Forest. We began our community science program in 2018 and are building our programming to continue to be fun and educational for volunteers and useful to Duke Forest staff and researchers. Please read about our active projects below.

Current Projects

Herpetofauna Community Science 2024
Engaging community scientists in monitoring the amphibians and reptiles of the Duke Forest.

Partner Projects
Engaging community scientists in monitoring stream health and surveying bird and butterfly populations.

What is “Community Science”?

At Duke Forest, we previously referred to these programs as our citizen science programs. You’ll now see that we have shifted to community science terminology. In large part, our transition to community science is an intentional way to align our language and programming with Community Engagement priorities in our Strategic Plan.

We strive to engage community members within and outside of Duke in our programming, ultimately working towards the goal of connecting more people to environmental stewardship and scientific exploration. Our word choice reflects this area of our mission. However, we know that terminology and language have important effects on the way people relate to the world around them, and we want to acknowledge the following impacts of our word choice. Please read on below:

Citizen Science Terminology

Community Science Terminology

We invite you to learn more about the histories of citizen science and community science projects alike. Additionally, we welcome all interested community members to join us in researching and protecting the health of the forest ecosystem through Duke Forest Community Science.

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