YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — As part of its #WhatWeDoWednesdays social media series, Yellowstone National Park (YNP) has shared information about a nationwide environmental science project that engages visitors: the Dragonfly Mercury Project (DMP).
The DMP enlists citizen scientists and members of Yellowstone’s Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) to collect dragonfly larvae in the Park to be analyzed for mercury levels. Dragonfly larvae provide insight into mercury levels and locations in waters around YNP.
“Working with YCC on a community science investigation is rewarding,” YNP Education Specialist Matt Ohlen said in a statement. “It connects them to places like Yellowstone and exposes them to science careers while providing high-quality data to scientists working to solve real-world problems.”
According to the DMP, volunteers work with Park staff to bag, measure and record the dragonfly samples. The collected samples are then sent to the U.S. Geological Survey for laboratory analysis.
Learn more about the project on the DMP website. Find more of the National Park Service’s (NPS) citizen science opportunities here.
