Starting to Watch the Wild

Step by step instructions for getting started with

Watch the Wild™

1. Select your observation location*. Choose from the options below:

• Choose a Site that you frequent. An example would be your backyard or neighborhood, a local park, your favorite beach spot, or an area you frequent. Note a "site" can be an area with up to a 1 mile radius roughly from a specific point or smaller.

Enter your Site information here. 

* Note: you can have more than one site to monitor if desired, but each site must be treated and reported on individually.

2. Research your chosen location and submit a description of your location(s). Description should include the following information:

• Latitude and Longitude. If observing activities on a route you frequent, please include the  latitude and longitude coordinates of both the starting and ending locations. 

3. Watch and report on wildlife. (refer to the Resource list for help identifying wildlife.)

Resource List

• What wildlife you observe either by sight or by sound,  
• Wildlife tracks you spot.

Please submit photo(s) if possible

Note that it's important to report on wildlife that's alive and wildlife that you might see that's not alive. By reporting on all types of wildlife, we find out about what goes on in the day as well as what happens in the night hours.

Remember to report not only what you see or hear, but also what you should be seeing and/or hearing, but are not.

For example, if you normally observe Blue Jays and they are not being seen or heard in your area, we would like that reflected in your observations as well.

4. Watch and report on wild flowers, trees,  and plants. (refer to the Resource list found on this page for help identifying flowers, plants, and trees)

• What did you observe?

Example 1: I noticed that the maple trees' leaves are beginning to change to red.

Example 2: Garlic Mustard is on the border of my location,  and it looks like Mile-a-Minute is just beginning to show.

Example 3: the Mountain Pine Beetle is beginning to affect   a stand of pine trees at my location.

Please submit photos.

5. Watch and report on wild weather.

• Report on basic weather events like snow and rain but also on more extreme events, such as hail, sleet, thunder, lightning, tornado, hurricane, flooding, and drought.
• Days that the temperature reaches 100 or more degrees.
• Boiling Water and Drought notices--water restrictions in the immediate and surrounding areas.
• If known or announced, is your area's water table below normal or above and if so, how much?

6. Report on Water Conditions (if monitoring a site near water)

• What did you observe?

Example: water color was grayish or a sheen on the water was noted. Also for example: dead fish or birds were observed floating on the water.

7. Record your observations on the Watch the Wild™ Observation Form. 

• Accurately record your observations in the database.