Community science (also known as citizen science) involves volunteers in projects and scientific research that is both fun and valuable. Although community scientists may not have specific scientific training, they can assist scientists by performing research-related tasks such as collecting ecological information. Many ordinary people have an extraordinary interest in a facet of our natural world. By sharing the data that they collect for their own purposes with that collected by other people, scientists can work with much larger data-sets than they would be able to accumulate themselves. The data collected can be used to determine management and conservation plans, influence development decisions, and justify local, state, and federal legislation.
