Project 1 - Great Backyard Bird Count

Day: February 16 (rain date: NA)
Time: 9:30am-12:30pm
Capacity: 8
Location: Holliday Park Nature Center
Activity: citizen science biodiversity survey/bird count
Partner(s): Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Indy Parks

Description: We will take part in the annual mid-winter bird count run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, and Birds Canada. This is a global event that has been taking place for over 20 years. Data collected by citizen scientists as part of the project helps scientists assess trends in bird populations and allows scientists to address a variety of questions about bird populations. For example, are a species' numbers increasing, decreasing, or holding steady; is a species' range expanding, contracting, or shifting? Scientists can use the data provided by community volunteers to examine larger patterns and the environmental factors (such as climate change, land use changes, etc.) driving the trends. Go to the bird count page or Cornell's All About Birds website for more details.

Project 2 - Great Backyard Bird Count

Day: February 16 (rain date: NA)
Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm
Capacity: 8
Location: Holliday Park Nature Center
Activity: citizen science biodiversity survey/bird count
Partner(s): Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Indy Parks

Description: see Project 1

Project 3 - Great Backyard Bird Count

Day: February 17 (rain date: NA)
Time: 9:30am-12:30pm
Capacity: 8
Location: Holliday Park Nature Center
Activity: citizen science biodiversity survey/bird count
Partner(s):Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Indy Parks

Description: see Project 1

Project 4 - Great Backyard Bird Count

Day: Febraury 17 (rain date: NA)
Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm
Capacity: 8
Location: Holliday Park Nature Center
Activity: citizen science biodiversity survey/bird count
Partner(s):  Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Indy Parks

Description: see Project 1

Project 5 - Invasive Species Removal - Holliday Park

Day: March 29 (rain date: Sunday, Mar. 31)
Time: 10:00AM-1:00PM
Capacity: 30
Location: Holliday Park
Activity: invasive species removal
Partner(s): DPW, Indianapolis Office of Land Stewardship

Description: Invasive plant species cause environmental harm on many levels. Not only do invasives disrupt the functioning of ecological communities, but they can impact physical processes within the environment as well. For example, invasive plants are often chemically defended, so herbivores won't eat them (ecological impact), and some invasives contribute to water pollution by enhancing sediment loading of waterways (physical impact). We will focus our efforts on removing invasive shrubs and saplings, primarily Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) and burning bush (Euonymus alatus). Amur honeysuckle in particular has negative impacts on water quality.

Project 6 - Invasive Species Removal - Holliday Park

Day: March 30 (rain date: Sunday, Mar. 31)
Time: 10:00AM-1:00PM
Capacity: 30
Location: Holliday Park
Activity: invasive species removal
Partner(s): DPW, Indianapolis Office of Land Stewardship

Description: see Project 5

Project 7 - Invasive Species Removal - Southwestway Park

Day: April 5 (rain date: Sunday, Apr. 7)
Time: 10:00AM-1:00PM
Capacity: 30
Location: Southwestway Park
Activity: invasive species removal
Partner(s): DPW, Indianapolis Office of Land Stewardship

Description: see Project 5

Project 8 - Invasive Species Removal - Southwestway Park

Day: April 6 (rain date: Sunday, Apr. 7)
Time: 10:00AM-1:00PM
Capacity: 30
Location: Southwestway Park
Activity: invasive species removal
Partner(s): DPW, Indianapolis Office of Land Stewardship

Description: see Project 5

Project 9 - Trash Clean-up & Invasive Species Removal at the ARBOR

Day: April 20 (rain date: Sunday, April 21)
Time: 10:00am-1:00pm
Capacity: 30
Location: Lilly ARBOR
Activity: trash clean-up and garlic mustard removal
Partner(s): CEES, ROW, Urban Wilderness Trail

Description: The White River floods frequently, and each flood cycle deposits new trash along the floodplain and picks up older trash from the area. Trash collected by floodwaters is deposited further down stream - or may even be carried to the Gulf of Mexico! For this project, our goal is to disrupt the land-to-river-to-ocean pathway of trash, as well as clean/restore/beautify the local environment. Collected trash will be disposed of properly or recycled (as appropriate). Additionally, we will pull wild garlic mustard, an invasive herb that is abundant in the ARBOR; this effort will encourage the development of a more diverse forest floor plant community, benefitting the local wildlife.

Project 10 - TBD

Day: TBD (rain date: TBD)
Time: TBD
Capacity: 30
Location: TBD
Activity: TBD
Partner(s): TBD

Description:

Project 11 - TBD

Day: TBD (rain date: TBD)
Time: TBD
Capacity: 30
Location: TBD
Activity: TBD
Partner(s): TBD

Description:

Project 12: Bird Window Strike Survey - Special Project

Date: April 1-May 31

This is not a typical service project. The purpose of the window strike survey is to gather data relating to the occurrence of bird-window collisions on the IUI campus. The data collected will be used to determine whether there is a need for building modifications (to make IUI more bird-friendly) and to inform campus decisions relating to any such proposed modifications. Taking part in this project requires a weekly committment to survey of a particular campus location. Monitoring for spring migration will begin April 1 and will continue through May 31. Expect to spend about 15-20 minutes looking for birds each time you survey your assigned route.  Read more about this project.

Activity: You will walk a route around one or more buildings, scanning the ground for bird strikes (birds that have struck the buildings will probably be dead): each week, you will walk your route (this should take about 15-20 minutes) and fill in an online data form. Data collected will include date, route, time, and whether any birds were found. When you find a dead bird, you will identify the bird and photograph it. No bird identification skill is needed: you will use the smart phone apps Seek and Merlin Bird ID to identify any birds you find. Dead birds will be bagged and deposited at a central collection site. In the rare event that you find an injured bird, you will not handle it: we have wildlife rehab folks available to take care of injured birds. CEES will supply the bags, gloves, etc. needed for this project. You must supply your own smart phone. 
Survey Date: pick a day that suits your schedule: M, Tu, W, Th, F, Sa, Su. Remember - this is a weekly committment for the entire semester.
Survey Time: select morning or evening; it is preferred that you walk your route within 2 hours of sunrise (morning, before 9:00am) or within 2 hours of sunset (evening, 5:00pm or later). 
Survey Routes: We will track bird strikes at multiple locations on campus. Buildings that will be monitored include: Innovation Hall (IO); science buildings (SL/LD); Science and Engineering Laboratory Building - also known as SELB (EL); Engineering & technology (ET); Business/SPEA breezeway (BS); University Library (UL); Gateway & Blackford garages (XL/XF) - just the glass stairwells at the corners; Lecture Hall (LE), University Hall (AD), Education/Socialwork (ES); Hine Hall and University Tower (IP/HO). It is preferred that you walk your route with a partner (birding buddy).
Partner(s): CEES, IUI Forensics, IUI Sustainability, Audubon Society

Data Submission: data will be collected using this online form.

Note: You need to download both the Seek and Merlin Bird ID apps to your phone. For the Merlin app, if your phone has limited storage capacity, choose the midwest bird pack.