Cloud watching is science. The Niobrara National Scenic River, along with the Niobrara Council, is offering opportunities for the public to participate in scientific research on Friday afternoons at 1 p.m. CT. On Friday July 10, we will explore clouds. Citizen Science events will take place at the Niobrara National Scenic River Visitor Center located at 214 W. Highway 20, Valentine, NE 69201, and will continue through July 31.
The topic for July 10, 2020 is Clouds: Photographing clouds and recording observations of the sky assists NASA and other scientists verify the data they get from satellites. They also can use the data to make progress with climate science by tracking changes in the clouds.
Due to social distancing best practices, each session is limited to 9 participants. Please call to reserve your spot. Multiple sessions will be provided upon need. We encourage all ages, families, and single people to participate. It’s for everyone!
You do not need to be a scientist to participate, but you will need a smart device to download the free app. These activities introduce the participant to a topic and show how it connects to the Niobrara River and provides instruction for an ongoing scientific research project. These activities can be done in your own communities or places you travel. Many of them are connected to NASA whose projects need millions of pieces of data to make them relevant. Citizen Science is the collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the general public, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists.
Citizen Science Topic Schedule:
July 17 – Birds
July 24 – Great Sunflower Project
July 31 – Monarch tagging
Niobrara National Scenic River is one of America’s National Scenic Rivers and a unit of the National Parks Service in Valentine, Nebraska. Keep up with the latest information by following us on Facebook (Niobrara National Scenic River) and Instagram (@NiobraraRiverNPS). For more information, please call 402-376-1901 or visit www.nps.gov/niob. Visitor Center hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT daily. Admission is free of charge.