September on the Marsh

September brings with it the shortening day length, cooler temperatures and a
season where plants are finishing seed production to ensure their species persists for
next year. Birds and some insects have decided to migrate in search of better food
sources for the winter or because of changing daylight and temperatures. Spiders are
utilizing the tall grasses to spin intricate webs that are more visible to us in the early
morning light, coated with an outline of dew. All creatures are making good use of the
end of summer plentiful food supply, storing calories in preparation for migration or
stock-piling food supplies for the coming fall and winter season.

Science is wonderful, happening in everyone’s back yard, and we can watch it
happen one day at a time in every season. Many people engage in scientific data
collection as a hobby. Some enjoy photography as a hobby and most people carry a
phone with them wherever they go. If you enjoy visiting parks, wildlife refuges or natural
areas like Collins Marsh, taking pictures and sharing them, your observations can be
documented and integrated into the database that helps scientists know what species
are active and where they are located. Citizen science has become widespread and a
real tool for managing natural resources, saving endangered species and helping to
identify areas that are the most ecologically diverse and requiring protection.
If you enjoy bird watching, check out Ebird.org. It is a citizen science project By
Cornell Ornithology that helps to document bird species throughout the world. If you are
a hunter or landowner, you may want to participate by setting up trail cameras through
the WDNR. There is a program called Snapshot Wisconsin, utilizing trail cameras to
document wildlife. Journey North is all about gathering information on migrations and
timing of other natural occurrences, for example when tulips emerge in spring. Many
citizen science opportunities are available to you whether you live in a rural area or
even a city.

Wisconsin Bumble Bee Brigade is a project monitoring native bumble bees. The
training for this is online. It is amazing what you will see once you start really taking the
time to look at what is happening in your yard. Interested in the weather? Get trained to
be a storm spotter. If plants are your thing, Budburst and Rare plant monitoring
programs exist. You have the power to make a very significant contribution to science
while enjoying nature, your garden or just hanging out with friends in your back yard.
Observation is a very powerful tool in science. When a person observes
something, often questions follow. What is it? Where did it come from? Why am I seeing
this? Is it supposed to be here? Finding out the answers can end in exciting discoveries.
Maybe no one else has ever seen one here before. As climate change rapidly changes
our weather patterns, birds, animals and plants are struggling to adjust, sometimes
changing their time of arrival, sometimes migrating farther north or farther south. Plants

bloom at different times of the year and insects are struggling to adjust to environmental
changes as well. Citizen scientists help to gather observations and enlarge the quantity
of data that scientists need to draw on to make good decisions in land conservation that
will benefit everyone.

Collins Marsh is available every day of the year with no admission fee. Every
day it has a changing composition of flowering plants, migratory birds, butterflies and
animals that call it home. We welcome you to come out and do a bit of citizen science,
enjoy the views of a wetland that is so important to migrating birds and many other
species. See what discovery you can make and enjoy some time at Collins Marsh. For
more information on possible citizen science programs that might interest you, go to
https://researchguides.library.wisc.edu/citizen_science/opportunities This website has
links and descriptions of monitoring opportunities for everyone. Get out and enjoy the
sights and sounds of September.