Wanted: Citizen-observers to document springtime arrivals and departures of common plants and animals. Richard Primack and Abraham Miller-Rushing hope to enlist your help in a project aimed at gathering data on the impact of climate change. In conversation with Museum audience members, they describe their work to date, and what they need from volunteers. Signs of global warming aren’t turning up just at the polar ice caps. When daffodils bloom in January in New England, it’s clear the climate is off kilter more generally. Accurate data from specific regions on when flowers bloom, or when birds migrate to their breeding grounds, says Primack, will help scientists draw an accurate and detailed picture of how warming is altering local ecosystems. Primack and Miller-Rushing have begun to pinpoint climate impact patterns in the Northeastern U.S., and they have some historical help: the journals of Henry David Thoreau, who observed when more than 600 species of plants flowered in Concord, MA. Thoreau’s diaries and tables help demonstrate not only a drastic loss of local plant species, but a wholesale shift in the flowering dates of surviving plants. For instance, the highbush blueberry blooms almost a month earlier than in Thoreau’s time. Primack and Miller-Rushing also came across a treasure trove of 19th-century cemetery photos, enabling stark contrasts with our own times: trees not yet in leaf on Memorial Day in the last century. In Europe, where data’s been gathered for years, some insect-catching birds are in serious decline, as they migrate to their spring breeding grounds out of phase with their prey. Primack’s initial U.S. data reveals similar alterations. The blackpoll warbler, for instance, which migrates long distances, “has no idea what the temperatures are here,” and shows up too early from its wintering grounds. Primack and Miller-Rushing have launched a program to gather data from locations across New England, from the mountains of New Hampshire to the cities. They encourage all keen-eyed naturalists to respond to their questionnaires, and to develop a seasonal awareness of, among other things, when ponds and lakes thaw, when butterflies first appear, and when peepers begin their spring chorus. Follow this link to contribute diaries or photos to the research database. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Richard B. Primack has served at Boston University since 1978. He received his B.A. from Harvard University and Ph.D.in Botany from Duke University. His current research focuses on the impact of climate change on species. In the last 30 years, he has been carrying out research in tropical forest ecology, especially in Malaysia. He was a principal investigator for the Man and Biosphere Program, coordinating research on the Maya forest of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. Primack's BU website Website providing information on Primack's data gathering project Video feature on Thoreau's journals at BU Today NOTES ON THE VIDEO (Time Index): Video length is 1:09:23. John Durant , Director, MIT Museum, introduces the event. At 2:00, Richard Primack begins. At 8:32, Abraham Miller-Rushing joins the presentation. At 20:23, Durant invites the audience to formulate questions and comments for the researchers. At 21:23, Durant reads some of the audience questions . At 25:28, the scientists respond to questions. At 28:08, they display images of Lowell Cemetery from Memorial Day 1868 and 2005 , showing dramatically different tree leaf emergence. Audience questions include: Are almanacs helpful in your research? Why did you choose particular species for your research and what other species might prove helpful? How does rapid evolution of a species fit into your research? Are plant species migrating? What about using cranberries, earthworms, day lilies to track climate change? How can school children and teachers assist your efforts? Would a single Observation day be useful? The information on this page was accurate as of the day the video was added to MIT World. This video was added to MIT World on 2007-05-30.