• Become a Community Scientist

    As a volunteer for VCE, you need not scale high peaks to count songbirds. But we wouldn't mind if you did. We won't ask you to leap into a cold lake to place a loon nesting platform. But it would great if you were into that sort of thing. And if you don't know a fern from a fritillary, we don't mind.

    Did you know that you don’t need a background in science to be a Community Scientist? From backyards and bogs to mountains and meadows, you'll find many ways to get involved and make a real contribution to wildlife conservation. If you'd rather not muck around a swamp or hike to a summit, you can still volunteer for VCE – even from the comfort of home.

    Which Community Science Project is Right for You?

    Here are some options for you to explore. At VCE, our community science projects often fall into one of two categories: crowd-sourced projects and directed projects. Crowd-sourced projects can be completed anywhere, at any time, and involve contributing observations to an online platform. Directed projects are overseen by a VCE staff member and require following certain parameters (date, location, survey method, etc.).

    You’ll find more information by following the links listed for each project – or feel free to email us at with your questions. We hope you’ll join us!

    Crowd-sourced Community Science Projects

    Directed Community Science Projects