Citizen science is a growing field of study, and while the scientists may be the ones studying the hard numbers, normal citizens have become an increasingly important part of many studies.

To make a long story short, field observation for science research is very expensive, and it’s nearly impossible for scientists and others to be everywhere they need to be to collect data on the plants and animals that they’re studying.

But there are any number of projects going on that regular people can help researchers out with in this regard.

For instance, the Boston Museum of Science is conducting a population study on fireflies. They can’t possibly pay someone to come sit in your backyard and everyone else’s as well. But by simply going out in your own yard and submitting what you see about fireflies, you can help the museum not only collect the data, but also allow it to direct it’s limited resources to figuring out what everyone’s observations mean.

While there are dozens of study projects going on that you can take part in, here are several that can be done locally, without a whole lot of effort, and which many kids will enjoy participating in as well.

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Firefly Watch

The Boston Museum of Science is leading a study on the geographic distribution of fireflies throughout North America.

Contrary to their name, fireflies are actually beetles. There are a number of species present all around the country, and when a field is full of them, it’s likely that you’re looking at several of the 150 or so species that live in North America.

To participate, just visit the website and make an account. The museum asks basic questions about your yard, like is the grass long or short and do you use fertilizers? Then, whenever you “visit” your backyard to observe, you just fill out a simple form. The museum says it’s important to report even if you don’t see any fireflies.

The website also includes a host of information on different species and how to tell males from females.

To learn more, visit legacy.mos.org/fireflywatch.

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Wild turkey survey

Don’t get too excited, this is not about tasting different kinds of bourbon.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation asks the public for help both in the summer and winter with conducting turkey surveys.

During the month of August, the DEC asks citizens to report any turkey sightings they have during the normal course of travel. The DEC uses these observations to determine the number and survival rate of young turkeys, or poults.

The form asks where you were and how many adult males, adult females and the number of young you saw. Information can also be submitted on the DEC website.

For more information, visit www.dec.ny.gov/animals/48732.html.

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Invasive beetle pool survey

The Asian long-horned beetle is a forest pest that is spreading around New York. The beetle has already killed hundreds of thousands of trees, and has the potential to do much more damage.

The DEC is asking swimming pool owners to help monitor for this invasive species, and only requires that you have a digital camera (including the one in your phone), email address and a way to email or text photos.

All you need to do is keep an eye out for the beetle when you clean your pool filter and if you see anything that might be the Asian long-horned beetle, take a picture and send it in to the DEC.

To see what the beetle looks like and find out how to participate, visit www.dec.ny.gov/press/102696.html.

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Monarch migration

The monarch butterfly is one of the most iconic sights of summer, but their populations have been falling and scientists need the public’s help to determine the number of butterflies and where they live.

Monarchs migrate from your yard to mountains in Mexico each fall, so this journey to a place they’ve never been could begin soon.

Journey North is leading this research project and is asking the public to report any and all monarch sightings. While the study is somewhat focused on migration, you can report sightings of adults that aren’t migrating, including breeding monarchs. And keep an eye out for the large clusters of monarchs at night when the migrators gather together to rest.

Visit www.learner.org/jnorth/tm-/monarch/AboutFall.html to learn more.

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Winter feeder watch

One great citizen science project will happen this winter, but it may be time to start preparing for the winter feeder watch now by stocking up on bird seed and cleaning your feeders.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology runs the winter feeder watch to keep track of non-migrating bird species like blue jays and black-capped chickadees.

There is a fee to participate in the winter feeder watch, but the money goes toward making sure the project can continue to exist. Since the data is supplied and funded by citizens, Cornell can provide tons of data to schools and researchers for free.

Once you’ve registered and picked a watch site, you just have to record the birds you see at the feeder and submit the list. Cornell also wants to know how many birds were around at any given time, and asks that the feeder watch take place over two consecutive days.

You can do this watch each week through the winter if you’d like, but Cornell will take any observations you can get, regardless of if they’re every week or every month.

To register or see what other people have submitted, go to www.feederwatch.org.