Considering starting a Local Phenology Program? We have several resources to help you plan a long-term phenology program that will last for many years.
Our Local Phenology Program Handbook walks you through the steps to set up your Local Phenology Program in the USA-NPN's Nature's Notebook platform. It covers the benefits of Local Phenology Programs, the infrastructure and tools available for LPPs on the USA-NPN website, tips on recruiting, training, and retaining observers, and more.
The Handbook makes several references to the Program Planning Workbook, which is linked below.
Our accompanying Program Planning Workbook helps you plan and implement a long-term phenology program. This Workbook is referenced multiple times in the LPP Handbook (above).
This Program Planning Workbook is a fillable pdf. We recommend downloading it and saving it somewhere on your computer where you can easily find it again. After you save it, test out typing something into it, saving, then try closing and reopening it to make sure your changes save.
If you have any trouble with this pdf format, please reach out to [email protected] and we'll get you a different format that works for you!
Become a Certified Local Phenology Leader and learn how to plan and implement a sustainable long-term Nature's Notebook phenology monitoring program.
The 10-week course is online and interactive; participants work with peers across the country and with USA-NPN staff to gain skills in program planning, volunteer recruitment, phenology monitoring, data visualization, and collaboration. We typically offer the course in the Spring and Fall each year.
The course includes:
- USA-NPN Staff and guest LPL Facilitators with years of experience in creating and sustaining programs
- Weekly opportunities to brainstorm and plan with fellow participants from across the country through forum discussions and virtual meetings
- Guidance on developing a Phenology Program Plan including an action plan and sustainability plan, and three resources for recruiting, training, and retaining volunteers
- Hands on orientation to all the resources provided by the USA-NPN, including data visualization, phenology lesson plans and activities, and outreach and engagement resources
What is phenology and why should we care about it? This video explains the history of phenology and how you can get involved in tracking the timing of plant and animal activity through Nature's Notebook.
Download the PowerPoint slides from this video, or download the slides as a pdf.
Who observes phenology? This video describes the deep history of phenology how you can get involved in tracking the timing of plant and animal activity through Nature's Notebook.
Download the PowerPoint slides from this video, or download the slides as a pdf.
How has phenology already changed, and which species are shifting? Learn about what researchers have found so far, and how you can get involved in tracking the timing of plant and animal activity through Nature's Notebook.
Download the PowerPoint slides from this video or download the slides as a pdf.
Learn about the USA National Phenology Network and how you can get involved in tracking the timing of plant and animal activity through Nature's Notebook.
Download the PowerPoint slides from this video, or download the slides as a pdf.