How to Use this Website

View Content

Vermont Climate Witness serves as a public resource for citizen observations of weather and climate. You do not need to sign up to explore content - simply click on the icons on the map, and follow the links in the window that opens to view text, photo slideshows, and video clips. Over time, we will continue to add new content and functiality to the site -- features on seasonal themes such as skiing or foliage, current weather condidtions and forecasts, historic weather data, long-term predictions based on different climate models, etc.

Sign Up

To start contibuting to Vermont Climate Witness, all you have to do is register:

1. Click the "Login / Sign Up" link in the top menu of the homepage
2. Enter your name, email address, and a password
3. You will receive an email with a confirmation link

Start Contributing Content

When you sign in you will be taken to your homepage where you can post a new "witness" or edit any previous posts. Each witness involves the following...

Information:

• Title - this will show up in the map pop-up window and the list of post summaries, so be sure to include a short, descriptive title.
• Description - type up a full description of what you witnessed -- this is the core of any post.
• Category - choose which category most closely relates to your post (Weather Conditions, Plants/Foliage, Wildlife/Hunting/Fishing, Farming/Sugaring, Outdoor Recreation/Skiing, Climate Action, Energy/Transportation, Climate Video).
• When - include a date and time for your post (this should relate to the content -- for example a time the previous evening for a post about last night's hailstorm -- not the time you are making the post).
  
• Where - choose "Enter a New Location" to add an address to your post -- try to include as much detail as possible for your post to show up in the map (the addresses you use will be saved in your locations list -- next time you have a post from the same place, simply select the location from this list).
  

Media:

• Photos - use the browse button to select a photograph from your computer that you would like to post (and click on the "Add Another File" add a second photo - add as many as you like)
• Videos - you can embed a video from a video sharing website (YouTube or Vimeo) onto your post, just copy and paste the embed code. If you have just captured some video, this means you will first need to upload it to a site like YouTube (if you need help, visit the YouTube handbook: http://www.youtube.com/t/yt_handbook_home). Please contact us if you would prefer to use our YouTube channel.

What Makes a Good Climate Witness Post?

A good post to Vermont Climate Witness is anything you want to share that relates to weather or climate -- your observations, concerns, thoughts, etc. Here are some examples of things you might share with the Climate Witness community:

1. Unseasonable or extreme weather: Tell us about the crazy weather you have experienced -- tornados, hailstorms, highs and lows -- and how it affected your life. Be sure to include any photos you have of the event.
2. Indicators of weather and climate: Share your observation of things like ski conditions, the ranges of wildlife, and the timing of flower buds or fall foliage.
3. Multi-year observations: Do you have journals going back many years of your time in nature? Or maybe photos from an annual summer picnic or Thanksgiving football game? Stories from seasonal hunting or fishing trips? The perfect post would compare observations of conditions over time -- help us create a visual database of Vermont's climate.
4. Weather-dependent livelihood: People who work on the land or whose businesses depend on certain weather conditions have great stories to share about weather and climate -- tell us how things are going in your sugarbush or out in the fields, and how this year compares to other years.
5. Climate action: Have you decreased your carbon footprint? Help us create a clearinghouse of climate change solutions by telling your story.

This type of user-generated site depends on an active community of users - please dive right in by setting up a profile and posting text, photos and video clips. You can post as often as you like and update any of your postings at any time. Also, please do not hestitate to contact us if you have an questions or concerns or ideas for how we can make this website a more effective platform for you to share your climate stories.