In preparation for the inquiry, feel free to post your questions and comments on the KanCRN list or discussion area. This inquiry will only be successful if a large number of schools participate. Your participation is encouraged.

The Basic Methods

This project will allow students and citizen researchers from all over the world to record and share their observations on the coming of spring. Common animals and plants used in the study of the coming of spring are listed in the pull down selection menu on the next web page (Data Submission Page). Your observations could include things such as the sound of geese flying north, the sound of tree frogs in your yard, the first sign of a tulip bursting through the soil or a forsythia bush bursting forth in full bloom.

Site Location

If your observations are being made within 1 Km or .6 mile of your school site then they will be tied automatically to the latitude and longitude of the school. If you are using a different site, such as home or other off school sites you will need the latitude, longitude, and elevation of the site. The latitude and longitude can be obtained by entering the address of the site in the MapBlast site at http://www.mapblast.com The elevation can be obtained from local USGS maps or by contacting county governmental offices. Alternatively the latitude and longitude can be obtained using small hand held GPS units.

Selection of Species

Decide which species you will look for. The list below gives the species that can be submitted on the project database. Students should take outside observations at home or at school.

Animals First Robin sighting First sighting or sounds of geese. First frog calls or sighting First cricket sounds or sighting First butterfly sighting First mosquito sighting First firefly sighting Plants First dandilion bloom First jonquil shoot or bloom First tulip shoot or bloom First forsythia bloom First dogwood bloom First redbud bloom First lilac bloom First honeysuckle bloom
		Microclimate Observations: If you are recording observations of plants, the microclimate information will also be important. Observe the characteristics surrounding the plant. If the plant is near a building or other large sheltering structure note which side of the structure it is located on. (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW) We refer to this as exposure. Next note whether the plant is on a hillside, in a valley, on a hilltop or on flat landscape. Finally note whether the plant is located in full bright sunlight, partially shaded or in full shade. These and other microclimate factors will be useful in understanding the timing of plant growth. Microclimate information will be less important for animal observations since they are so mobile. For this reason you do not report microclimate information for animal observations.