In this episode of the Everyday Environment Podcast, hosts Amy Lefringhouse and Karla Griesbaum talk with Allen Lawrance, Curator of Entomology at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, to discuss the power of community science and how volunteers contribute valuable data to wildlife monitoring programs across Illinois. Allen highlights initiatives like the Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network, the Illinois Odonate Survey, and the Calling Frog Survey. These programs help track species abundance and distribution and are crucial for understanding environmental change, including the impacts of habitat loss and climate change. Allen emphasizes that anyone can participate with basic training—no science background is needed.ResourcesFederal Community Science OpportunitiesIllinois Odonate SurveyCalling Frog SurveyPeggy Notebaert Illinois Butterfly Monitoring NetworkEast Central Illinois FrogWatchNorth American Butterfly Association Butterfly CountsShare your own Everyday ObservationWas there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect, and we may share it in a future blog or podcast.Questions? We'd love to hear from you!Abigail Garofalo [email protected], Erin Garrett [email protected], Amy Lefringhouse [email protected] Subscribe to our NewsletterCheck out our BlogSee the Everyday Environment Archives