Participatory Science with the National Parks of Boston

Participatory science can be done by anyone - no fancy degrees required. This kind of science is sometimes referred to as "citizen science" or "community science".

The National Parks of Boston use several participatory science programs to engage local communities and visitors. These programs help park managers and the public better understand the biodiversity of the Boston Harbor area and make management decisions. 

This Story Map will provide you information about what our programs are and how you can participate.

• Bivalve Quest
• Marine Invader Monitoring and Information Collaborative
• Tree Phenology at the Charlestown Navy Yard
• Bioblitz

Bivalves are aquatic creatures with bodies that are enclosed within a hinged shell, such as oysters, mussels, clams and scallops. They are a part of the mollusk phylum, meaning that they are distantly related to snails, squids, and octopi. These creatures can be found in freshwater or saltwater and improve water quality through filter feeding.

Bivalve Quest aims to document the distribution and abundance of bivalves in the intertidal areas of Boston Harbor, including the shorelines of Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. Knowing where each species lives will help scientists and park managers understand and protect these important marine critters. This project began as the  Delectable Oyster Quest   for the 2018 City Nature Challenge in partnership with the MIT Sea Grant, National Parks of Boston, and Boston's City Nature Challenge Steering Committee.

There is little current knowledge about bivalve populations along Boston Harbor coastlines. In the past 20 years, water quality has improved considerably in Boston Harbor, while other global drivers such as increased temperatures are also affecting the abundance and distribution of marine species. With the help of participatory scientists, we can better document the group of bivalves, their location, and habitat characteristics in Boston Harbor.

In order to participate in this project, here is what you'll need:

• A rope or string 5 meters long
• 1/2-meter stick (ideally enough for everyone in your group to have their own)
• 2 rocks or pin flags
• Bivalve Quest identification guides
• A cell phone or iPad that can scan QR codes

Once you have these items, think about where you would like to survey for bivalves. However, keep in mind that we only do this study within two hours of low tide. For example, if low tide is at 10:00AM, you could do Bivalve Quest anytime between 8:00AM - 12:00PM.

After you've chosen your study area and checked the tides, it's time to set up your plot. Bivalve Quest plots are 5 meters by 1 meter, which is where your rope and 1/2-meter sticks will come in handy. Set up your rope parallel to the ocean, as seen in the picture above, and use your rocks or pin flags to keep it in place. Ideally, this should be set up as close to the water line as possible, but keep in mind if the tide is going in or out and give yourself enough space that you won't get washed out in the middle of your survey! Next, grab a half meter stick and place it perpendicular to your 5meter rope. Scan the QR code on your identification guide and begin counting the shells. As you count, you'll move the 1/2-meter stick with you to help track your progress. Continue with this method until you've surveyed both sides of your 5meter rope and then submit the survey.

Some things to keep in mind:

• Bivalves are made of two shells that are hinged, so if you only find one shell, make sure to count it as 0.5 when you're submitting it to the survey.
• Bivalve Quest documents both living and dead specimens, so make sure you're keeping separate counts for the living creatures you find, as well as the dead ones.
• Never dig or pick up a living bivalve. We want to protect these species and don't want to accidentally injure them.
• For each plot, we recommend a maximum of 5 people: 4 people to count the shells, and 1 person to collect the data. However, you can do this survey by yourself too!

The Bay Scallop can be rare near Boston’s coasts. This Bivalve is very symmetrical, with a deeply ridged, fan-like shell radiating from the umbo.

The Quahog has a curved hinge and body, creating a spiraled appearance. These near-circular clams are usually light in color and have ridges along their ventral margin.

The papery Softshell Clam is white, oval, and often weak enough to be crumbled in your hand. Growth lines are irregular, and a spoon-shaped notch may be present on the inside.

Surf Clams are large, strong, triangular clams with a wide range of colors. Their triangular umbones and even growth lines distinguish them from the Softshell Clam.

The Razor Clam is distinct in its very oblong, rectangular shape. This species can reach up to six inches in length.

The Blue Mussel is very common and is named for its striking color. Some specimens, though, may be closer to brown than a true blue.

The Atlantic Ribbed Mussel has a brown shell coating with sharp, regular ridges radiating from the umbo. Live specimens often live in grasses and can hiss at those who pass by.

Horse Mussels get quite large and have a brown shell, though juveniles may be blue. Their umbones are not as pointed as those of the blue mussel, often resembling a “w” when viewed from above.

The Eastern Oyster typically has an elongated, curved teardrop shape with a distinctive purple or brown mark on the inside of the shell.

The invasive European Flat Oyster has a flat, circular shell with small ridges. Unlike the Eastern oyster, they do not have a dark spot on their shell’s interior.

Ready to get in the field and start questing? Check out our identification guides for information on the go!

Look around our 2019-2024 survey map and see where we've been. Use your mouse to move around the map or use the "+" or "-" signs to zoom in or out. Click on the points to read what people have found during their quests.

Interested in seeing how we record the data in the field and our most up to date survey map? Click on the button below to check out our survey and find out more.

Marine Invader Monitoring and Information Collaborative, or MIMIC for short, is a regional program led by Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) that engages participatory scientists to collect data on 18 common invasive marine species that have moved into the Gulf of Maine, which includes Boston Harbor. 

An invasive species is an animal, plant, fungi, or other living organism that is brought into an environment by human environment interaction, that thrives due to lack of competition and predation, eventually harming the surrounding environment. Many of these species are quite small and are transported to new environments through ballast water. Tracking these species populations allows us to see how much habitat these creatures have taken over and can inspire research to assess how their presence is affecting native species and impacting natural processes.

In order to monitor, you will need:

• Magnifying glass or macro lens
•  CZM MIMIC Datasheet 
•  CZM MIMIC Identification Cards 
• Thermometer
• Refractometer
• Pen or Pencil

All our sites are located at dock habitats, however not all the docks in the Boston Harbor are easily accessible. In order to make our sites safe for monitoring, we establish our sites by tying a brick to some rope and dropping it into the water so that it sits about 1 meter above the ocean floor. We then secure the rope to a point on the dock that the brick can be periodically pulled up and monitored for invasive species.

Some of our bricks were established in 2022, which means marine creatures haven't had that much time to attach and grow on our bricks, and those that have are hard to see. This is where a magnifying glass or macro lens comes in handy. In the picture above, you can see some encrusting bryozoans - small, filter-feeding animals called zooids living in a colony - forming on one of our bricks. It would be very hard to identify which bryozoans these are without magnification, however, in the pictures below you can clearly see the difference between each of them once we looked at these creatures with magnification.

Once you get a good look at what's on the brick, you can fill out the CZM MIMIC Datasheet, which will ask you about the 18 common invaders and how abundant they were at your monitoring site. To get familiar with these species, refer to the CZM MIMIC Identification Cards. Lastly, once the datasheet has been mostly filled out, make sure to take the temperature of the water with a thermometer. We tie ours to a rope and drop it into the water for at least 1 minute, but it's better to keep it in longer for a more accurate reading.

After recording your temperature in degrees Celsius, you can then take a water sample to find out the salinity. Using a pipette, take some ocean water and then place 1 drop on the surface of the refractometer, and then close the clear lid to spread the water out evenly. When looking through the refractometer, you should be able to clearly see the division of the white vs the blue portion of your viewfinder. Make sure you take your reading in parts per thousand (ppt).

Use your mouse to move around the map and see where we've established monitoring locations. The "+" and "-" signs will help you zoom in or out of the map. Click on the blue markers or the pictures on the left to zoom in on a specific site.

Check out the MIMIC iNaturalist project to see more of what's been found!

And find out more about the project on the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management website.

Phenology is “the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life.” What this translates to is the changing of the seasons; the coming and going of migratory birds, the emergence of insects, winter’s first snow or summer’s thunderstorm, and more. This project seeks to explore and document phenology through the seasonal changes exhibited by the trees of the Navy Yard: when leaves come out, when flowers bloom and fruits ripen, when leaves fall, and if the timing of these events are changing from year to year. These changes are called phenophases, and are defined by the USA National Phenology Network (USANPN) as "an observable stage or phase in the annual life cycle of a plant or animal that can be defined by a start and end point." 

To do this, the National Park Service and participatory scientists are using a platform called Nature’s Notebook, a project of the USANPN, that allows people to establish their own studies and monitor phenology wherever they are! We have a site that features select trees from around the Charlestown Navy Yard and would love for you to contribute. Follow the links below to learn more about the USANPN and Nature’s Notebook and keep reading to learn how to monitor and get involved.

One of the best things about Phenology monitoring is that it can be done anywhere, anytime, and with very little equipment. To contribute to this project, there are just a few things you will need. First you will need to set up an account with Nature’s Notebook where you can join our site, as mentioned above. Second, you will either need the Nature’s Notebook app on your cell phone or tablet to record and submit observations, or a paper datasheet where you record your observations to be submitted later on the Nature’s Notebook website. 

 Beyond those essentials, there are a few things that we recommend that can make observations easier, more accurate, and more enjoyable. These include binoculars, camera, and hand lens/magnifying glasses.

 Besides equipment, we have compiled resources to help you get started, these include definitions for the various phenophases or stages that our plants go through over the course of a year and what to look for when making your observations. Additionally, we have plant identification cards that can help you become familiar with our individual plants, bring these along for reference as you are getting started.

 The methods involved in studying phenology are relatively simple but given that every species is different and the changes we look for can be quite small, it often takes time to become confident in your observations. Take your time and really get to know the plants. 

To recap, you will at least need the following:  

• A Nature’s Notebook account 
• Either/or: The Nature’s Notebook app where you can collect and submit observations from the field OR a paper datasheet to record field observations and transcribe into Nature’s Notebook later

 The following items are recommended but not necessary: 

• Binoculars 
• Hand lens or magnifying glass 
• Camera 
• Phenophase definitions and plant identification guides 

Click the link below to explore Nature's Notebook!

Use the map below to see where our species are located and find out what they are. Click on the blue markers or use the navigation on the left to zoom to each species.

Interested in learning more about phenology and how we prepare our volunteers for a monitoring visit? Follow the links below to see information from the USA National Phenology Network or our Charlestown Navy Yard Story Map!

A BioBlitz is a great way to see what kind of biodiversity there is in each area. "Bio" meaning "life" and "blitz" meaning a "sudden and concentrated effort", breaks down to describe an activity that is a quick and efficient search for living organisms.

This BioBlitz is part of a greater and ongoing Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park biodiversity survey. We coordinate mini BioBlitzes for groups, or you can collect observations anywhere in the park at any time. Look around and see what you can find! Make sure to focus on taking high quality pictures and capturing the key parts of the organism for identification.

To participate in a BioBlitz, some of the tools you'll need are:

• A smart phone or tablet with the app iNaturalist downloaded
• An iNaturalist account
• Magnifying glass or macro lens
• Bug nets, small containers, or anything else you could use to safely capture a creature that you'd like to take a picture of
• Curiosity!

Once you've gathered all your tools, all you need to do it go outside and be curious. Walk around the park and upload pictures of what you'd like to identify.

Good iNaturalist observations have more than one photo. When taking your photos, consider what you might think is important for someone else when trying to identify it. For example, having your hand in the photo provides scale and getting pictures of various parts of the organism allows the iNaturalist community to better identify what you were looking at.

After you get all the pictures you need, make sure to write notes about your photos - that way people know what you are trying to identify. It also helps to put the organism in a broad category, like "plants" or "animals" instead of listing it as just an "unknown". That way when other users filter the data to what they are looking for, they can find your observation easier. Lastly, make sure to record the location that you made your observation so that researchers can see what kind of life you've observed in certain areas.

Click on the points on the map below to explore some of the observations from our 2022 BioBlitz with the University of Massachussetts Honors College, or click on the links below to view the iNaturalist projects from past years.

 2017 ;  2018 ;  2019 ;  2022;   2024 

All these projects are facilitated through the National Parks of Boston's Science and Stewardship Partnerships Team, and some can be done on your own. To get involved please send an inquiry to BOHA_Information@nps.gov to find out how!

Help us take care of the Boston Harbor Islands and check out other opportunities to get involved in the link below!