Living Roof Project
Learn about the Academy’s unique roof ecosystem while contributing to important baseline data regarding the many plants, birds and arthropods that inhabit and utilize the Living Roof’s 2.5 acres of green space.
About the Project
 | The Living Roof Project is an ongoing citizen science program designed to give community members an opportunity to learn about the Academy’s unique roof ecosystem while contributing to important baseline data regarding the many plants, birds, and arthropods that inhabit and utilize the Living Roof’s 2.5 acres of green space. Major goals include:
|
How to Participate
 | Citizen scientists who are 12 years of age or older are invited to participate in the Living Roof Project. First, you’ll need to attend a training session to become acquainted with project procedures and the flora and fauna that you may encounter while on the roof. After this training, you will be eligible to return as a qualified citizen scientist to help Naturalist Center staff monitor the roof on a monthly basis. Fall Monitoring Schedule For Trained Volunteers: Contact the Naturalist Center if you are available to help collect data. Call (415) 379-5494, or email naturalist@calacademy.org. Upon becoming a citizen scientist volunteer for the Living Roof Project, you will also have the opportunity to attend educational enrichments to bolster your knowledge about a variety of topics relating to the roof ecosystem and biodiversity. |
Your Contribution to Science
 | The data collected by our citizen scientists are shared with researchers from the California Academy of Sciences and San Francisco State University. In addition, the bird observations are submitted to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s international eBird project (http://ebird.org). These data serve as a baseline to which future changes in plant and animal diversity on the Academy’s Living Roof can be compared. Brewer’s Blackbird © mojoscoast |
Key Statistics |
|
370+ volunteer hours
20 arthropod orders identified
39 arthropod families identified
45 birds species observed
52+ plant species identified
Updated April 2011
Resources |
|
Living Roof Native Plants [PDF, 41k]
Bird Species List [PDF, 36k]
Project Results [PDF, 5.2mb]
Resources in the Naturalist |
|
Aside from providing access to reference materials and librarians, the Naturalist Center provides a number of services tailored to the specific needs of students, teachers and the general public. If you would like to access Naturalist Center services and resources without visiting the rest of our museum, please call us at (415) 379-5494 to make an appointment.
Other Academy Projects |
|
Help obtain baseline data for ants living in local counties in the Bay Area Ant Survey.
Learn about and help document the distribution and spread of Zoropsis spinimana, the Bay Area’s Most Wanted Spider.
