The Tick Observatory is a national network of research nodes operated by individual citizen scientists across Australia. In its initial stages, it will focus on collecting and identifying ticks and their locations.
These citizen scientists sample one site each month using flagging techniques across a transect of 200m to 1000m for 30 minutes. The goal is to collect long-term data over the course of a year or more.
Each month’s samples are collected in small ethanol-filled tubes, provided in collection kits. These samples are returned to the LDAA quarterly, with three months’ worth of samples (three tubes) submitted each time. Dr Mackenzie Kwak then identifies the tick species in each sample and adds the data to the Australian Tick Observatory database.
Citizen scientists receive reports on the species diversity from their site, allowing them to track their progress and contribute directly to the research. At the end of each year, a comprehensive report is prepared summarising the project’s results and trends, showcasing the collective efforts of the citizen scientists and LDAA’s ongoing research accomplishments.
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