Citizen Science Projects

Volunteers monitor nest boxes throughout the park district on a weekly basis during the nesting season of March through August. They record data related to the activity of bluebirds and other beneficial cavity-nesting birds and inspect the boxes for pest invasion and maintenance concerns. A final count of numbers and species of birds raised successfully in each box is sent to the Ohio Bluebird Society, an organization dedicated to the preservation of native cavity-nesting birds.

This survey is part of The Ohio Lepidopterists Long-Term Monitoring of Ohio Butterflies. Volunteers walk along designated trails at Oenslager Nature Center, Letha House Park, and Killbuck Lakes to record the numbers and species of butterflies they see.

You can also watch a YouTube video about the 2025 findings as well as view butterfly footage here.

Volunteers watch and record birds they see at the bird feeders at Oenslager Nature Center and Susan Hambley Nature Center once or twice a week. This survey runs from mid-November to the first week of April. The information at the end of the season is sent to Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Watch a YouTube video of this year's results, click HERE.