Citizen Scientist

A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year: "Intelligent and impassioned, Citizen Scientist is essential reading for anyone interested in the natural world."
A Nautilus Award Winner in Ecology and Environment

Award-winning writer Mary Ellen Hannibal has long reported on scientists' efforts to protect vanishing species. But it was only through citizen science that she found she could take action herself.


As she wades into tide pools, spots hawks, and scours mountains, she discovers the power of the heroic volunteers who are helping scientists measure—and even slow—today's unprecedented mass extinction. Citizen science may be the future of large-scale field research—and "might be our last, best hope for solving myriad environmental predicaments" (Library Journal).


our planet's last, best hope.


"Inspired by the likes of marine biologist Ed Ricketts, [Hannibal] records starfish die-offs, meets the geeks who track deforestation, and plans a web-based supercommunity of citizen scientists to counter what many are calling the sixth great extinction. A cogent call to action." —Nature

"Hannibal's use of details verges on the sublime." —East Hampton Star

"[A] celebration of nonexperts' contributions to science." —Scientific American