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Earth Day Animal Spot-A-Thon
Meet the scientists behind Snapshot Wisconsin, a NASA-supported project and learn how to identify wildlife in camera trap images to accelerate wildlife conservation research.
Welcome hosts and facilitators!
We’re so glad you’re hosting an in-person gathering to stream the Acts of Science: Connected virtual event, Earth Day Animal Spot-A-Thon featuring the citizen science project Snapshot Wisconsin.
LIVE Event
Two options on April 22, 2026:
11 AM ET
6 PM ET
Event Duration: 2 hours
As a host, you must register for this event to receive the Zoom link to join. Your guests do not need to register independently.
This is a signature event of Citizen Science Month 2026, and all activity counts towards a collective goal of 2.50 Million Acts of Science before the end of April. Report your Acts of Science, which includes event attendance and estimated Snapshot Wisconsin classifications, to CitizenScienceMonth.org!
The below toolkit is designed to orient you to the project and help you prepare to host a successful in-person event in your space.
Welcome from the Project Leader
Project SCientist
Mackenzie Glasford
Operations Manager
Project Description
In April 2026, we invite you to celebrate Earth Day with us by helping Snapshot Wisconsin monitor wildlife from anywhere in the world! In this hands-on event, you’ll explore the trail camera photos. As a participant, you will be looking at images to spot and classify the animals: what kind, how many, whether they are adults or young. Your contributions support a NASA-supported research project that tracks changes in wildlife distributions and abundances over time—critical data that informs wildlife management and conservation decisions.
You can learn how to participate in the project alongside your audience, or explore it ahead of time if you’d like. Learn more about the project here.
Technology Needed to Host This Event
This event is a livestream through Zoom. Participants gathered in-person at your site will watch and listen together live while joining the activity on their own devices (phones, tablets, or laptops).
To fully participate, please plan for the following:
- A computer (laptop or desktop)
- Used to log into Zoom and share the livestream with the group
- Reliable internet connection (wired is best, if available)
- Large display for group viewing
- A projector and screen or a large TV/monitor
- HDMI (or appropriate) cable to connect the computer to the display
- Sound for the room
- External speakers, TV speakers, or a projector with built-in audio
- Sounds should be loud enough for the whole room, test with audience upon the start of the event
- Participant Devices
- Notify your guests ahead of time if they need to bring their own device or if you will supply them
- Ensure your guests have access to the Wi-Fi at the host location
- Use our printable instructions to help your audience set up their accounts to participate before or during the event
Strongly Recommended: A stable internet connection is important for a smooth experience. If possible, avoid public or heavily restricted Wi-Fi. We recommend testing Zoom audio and video on your computer before the event to be sure everything looks and sounds good.
Facilitation Support
- Create a Free SciStarter Account: SciStarter.org/login. For participants under 13, an adult should set up a family account.
- Sign up for Zooniverse at Zooniverse.org.
- Return to SciStarter.org and click the dropdown icon next to your profile name and select “My Info & Settings” to visit your SciStarter Dashboard.
- Add your Zooniverse username to the “affiliate integration” box to start tracking contributions.
- Visit the Snapshot Wisconsin page on Zooniverse to get started on a workflow. Before you work on real data, make sure to look through the brief tutorial.
- Start identifying animals! Do as little or as many as you’d like.
Print and distribute the instructions for your guests.
If someone shares misinformation
You don’t need to debate or correct everything. You can say, “There’s a lot of information out there, and it can be confusing,” or simply thank them for sharing and redirect back to the activity.
If someone has a strong or disruptive opinion
Before your event, align with library staff on how to handle interruptions. If a strong opinion starts to disrupt the program, pause and loop in staff so the group can stay focused on the activity.
If you’re asked a question you can’t answer
It’s okay to say, “I’m not sure, but I can help find out.” For questions about project science or data protocols, you can submit the question to the Q&A for support.
If you notice inaccurate data being submitted
Use it as a teaching moment. Sit with the participant, thank them for their enthusiasm and effort and gently walk through how to submit data correctly, modeling the process step by step.
Find instructional resources, including K-12 lesson plans and a data dashboard to improve literacy skills on Snapshot Wisconsin’s Zooniverse page.
Promotional Resources
Use these resources to promote your in-person event. See all promotional tools in this google folder.
Posters
Available in multiple time zones.
Social Media and Graphics
Keep It Going
Print and distribute this flyer so your guests can continue participating in this project from home.
Thank You!
Thank you for facilitating this event and supporting the citizen science project Snapshot Wisconsin. With your help, scientists and researchers can make better decisions about wildlife conservation for the North American wilderness.
By guiding participants through this project, you’re helping scientists speed up the process of discovery, while giving your community a chance to contribute to real, ongoing research. Your time, curiosity, and leadership make these discoveries possible.
We’re grateful for your partnership and for the role you play in wildlife conservation—one image at a time.
Please take a moment to complete our brief post-event survey. Your response should take less than 5 minutes.
All activity in April, Citizen Science Month 2026, counts towards a collective goal of 2.50 Million Acts of Science. Report your Acts of Science, which includes event attendance and estimated Snapshot Wisconsin classifications, to CitizenScienceMonth.org!