A newly installed citizen science station at Cary’s Downtown Park is inviting visitors to become part of a long-term experiment in watching nature change.
The installation, called a Chronolog, looks simple at first glance: a sturdy post with a small platform for your smartphone. But it is part of a growing citizen-science network designed to document how landscapes evolve over time.
Located at the park’s lower pond, citizen scientists (that’s you) place their phone on the platform, line up the shot using a guide on the sign, and upload the image. Submissions are added to an online time-lapse, building a visual record of how the pond, its plants, and its wildlife change through seasons and weather.
The lower pond isn’t just ornamental; it is a working ecosystem shaped by stormwater, native plants, and careful management. One of the most important species here is the American lotus, Nelumbo lutea, and the horticulture team that cares for the park is eager to see how it changes over time.
The fast-growing aquatic plant limits algae growth by absorbing excess nutrients in stormwater before it enters the Walnut Creek drainage system. Their broad leaves provide habitat for invertebrates that prey on mosquito larvae.
Since installation, the station has collected 85 photos from 73 contributors.
Similar stations have been installed from Hawaii to Virginia. Visitors to a boardwalk overlooking a salt marsh at the Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge in Hawaii can contribute with images of migratory birds along wtth endangered birds native to Hawaii. Visitors to Shenandoah National Park can contribute images of seasonal and other changes along two overlooks.