The Phenology Stewardship Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara is a growing network of professional & citizen scientists, outdoor enthusiasts, and educators & students who are dedicated to observing seasonal biological events. Phenology is the study of seasonal events, such as when the trees in our neighborhoods begin to flower in the spring. Other examples in our region include the timing of whale migrations through the Santa Barbara channel, the “white wave” of Ceanothus blooms that progresses up our front-country hills each spring, and the arrival of Monarch butterflies at the Ellwood Preserve each autumn. Can you think of other phenological events in our area? Tell us here.

With funding from UCSB's Coastal Fund, the UCSB Phenology Stewardship Program was initiated in the Spring of 2007 by PhD student Brian Haggerty and Professor of Ecology & Evolution Dr. Susan Mazer. Through a combination of scientific research, environmental education and community outreach, our mission is to engage Central- and South Coast residents in the collection of phenological data and the reporting of those observations to an online database that is accessible to everyone (Project Budburst: www.budburst.org). We provide internships for undergraduates in scientific research, environmental education, graphic design, and ecological mapping. We also train K-12 teachers (focusing on 7th-grade life sciences) so that phenology can be brought into the classroom—an activity that is enhanced by the activities and curricula we are developing for K-12 and University levels. This citizen science effort that we are launching in our region is part of a nationwide effort designed by the “Education, Citizen Science & Outreach” Working Group of the USA National Phenology Network.

The USA National Phenology Network was initiated in January 2007 and is a nationwide collaboration of professional and citizen scientists that is designed to track the progression of the seasons at resolutions ranging from square-centimeters for biogeochemical cycles, to hundreds of meters for populations of wild plants and animals, to thousands of meters for landscape-level forest canopy changes that are detected remotely by satellites in space. Government agencies (USGS, Fish & Wildlife, National Parks) and non-government agencies (biological field stations, botanic gardens, natural reserves, etc.) are participating along with citizens and formal educational institutions (K-12 and universities) nationwide.

Project Budburst began in Spring 2007 as the USA-NPN's first field campaign for citizen scientists, contributing almost 1000 phenological observations nationwide. We hope that you will participate in this year's Project Budburst season by watching and recording events that herald the progression of spring in your own local natural area or backyard (www.budburst.org). Please contact Brian Haggerty, M.S. or Dr. Susan Mazer to find out how Project Budburst can take root in your backyard, your school, or your local natural areas.