Community Science

Community Science Programs

What is community science?

Community science (sometimes referred to as "citizen science") is a form of research that provides everyone—regardless of their background, knowledge, or training—an opportunity to contribute meaningful data to further our scientific understanding of conservation issues and use this information to create effective and meaningful solutions.

Headwaters invites community scientists to participate in our iNaturalist project. This project helps us to track the biodiverse species that call our properties home. You can join the project by downloading and making an account on the iNaturalist app on your smart phone. From here, just search "App Headwaters Properties" in the project tab, and join! Any observations you take at Wood Thrush Park will automatically be entered into our project to help us track species presence of plants, animals, and fungi.

Headwaters is launching its first major community science initiative in 2026-

the Greenbrier Valley Wildlife Project!

Why this project?
Nearly 90% of land in West Virginia is privately owned, including much of Greenbrier County, the second largest county in the state by area. The Greenbrier Valley region, which includes Greenbrier and its neighboring counties, is largely agricultural, with a strong focus on cattle and livestock grazing. Despite West Virginia being one of the most forested states in the nation, the predominance of private land ownership limits our understanding of wildlife species distribution, habitat use, and community composition across these areas. To address this gap, we propose a citizen science initiative aimed at gathering data on wildlife species throughout the Greenbrier Valley. This project will not only engage residents but also foster public awareness and education around wildlife and their use of the surrounding landscape.

Do I need to pay to be a participant?
Headwaters requests that participating landowners donate a minimum of $50 a year to enroll in the project to help cover camera and ongoing equipment costs. **If you wish to enroll your high school class and place the camera at your school there is no required donation for this.

Where does my money go?
All donations from landowners will be contributed towards the undergraduate and high school yearly summer internship stipends, with the goal of funding most of the summer stipend expenses over the long term to help continue providing this valuable mentorship and career training program to youth and early career professionals in STEM.

Will my information be kept private?
Yes! Information including names, addresses, GPS coordinates, parcel IDs will not be linked to data. No personal information will be shared. Data aggregation by county or watershed will occur instead in any shared reports outside of your household to mask exact locations and maintain landowner privacy. How often will someone need to access my property? Photos are collected and SD card switch/battery change occurs every 3-4 months from the project start date. You do not need to be present on the property unless you want to be, we will just need access to the camera location and parking. Checks will occur on mutually agreed upon weekdays.

What is the benefit of participating?
First, you’re contributing to local science while supporting a good cause!

Camera photos are processed by Headwaters interns. Landowners will receive a link to organized photos at the end of each participating year. A rapid habitat assessment will be conducted by Headwaters biologist and/or interns. Additionally, a detailed report of species present is generated along with any land management or coexistence recommendations based on species present and the habitat assessment and is presented to the landowner at the end of each participating year. Landowners will have the option of having their land highlighted at workshops and educational presentations. Training on how to set up, calibrate, change SD cards and batteries, as well as ID tracks, wildlife movement routes, ID scat and use science apps like iNaturalist, and SEEK will be provided to any interested landowners by a trained biologist or technician. These will be provided in the form of workshops at Wood Thrush Park.

How big does my property need to be, and what if I live in town?
Good news townies—no property is too small, too rural, or too urban! We will gladly set you up if you live in town or only own 0.5 acres—there is no minimum or requirement for this. It’s always great to see how wildlife might be moving in more urban settings. We do have a few habitats of interest, including forest cores (especially those that connect habitat fragments), forest edges along agricultural fields, manmade but abandoned structures (think old barns or cabins), and cattle ponds/other bodies of water. Anyone in
Greenbrier, Monroe, or Pocahontas counties can qualify—Summers County will also be considered.

How do I sign up?
It’s easy! Fill out the short survey at this link and Dr. Collins will contact you! Click or copy and paste in your browser: https://arcg.is/1TPraH .