Volunteers needed to track changes in autumn leaf colors

August 26, 2015

Photo by Meghan Murphy. Changing colors of fall leaves on the UAF campus

A University of Alaska Fairbanks research team needs volunteers to help track changes in autumn leaf color of native and invasive plants across Alaska. Volunteers can become citizen scientists and receive training on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 10 a.m. at the UAF campus ski hut. All youths and adults are welcome.

The training will teach volunteers how to identify local native and invasive plants and how to collect data on their changing fall leaves. Native plants are indigenous to the area while invasive plants may be introduced and can spread aggressively outside their natural range. This project will investigate if invasive plants are better than native plants in taking advantage of the extended growing seasons associated with climate change.

For more information, contact the project's coordinator, UAF scientist Katie Spellman, at katie.spellman@alaska.edu or sign up through the website at https://sites.google.com/a/alaska.edu/projectbrowndown. In-person or Skype sessions with scientists are available for classrooms and youth groups.

CONTACT: Katie Spellman, katie.spellman@alaska.edu
ON THE WEB: https://sites.google.com/a/alaska.edu/projectbrowndown