What is Chronolog?
Chronolog is a simple yet powerful citizen science monitoring tool that allows park managers to track environmental changes over time.
Park visitors can submit photos from more than 25 sites across the Park District. The images are then uploaded to our Chronolog page, where they can be viewed in a time-lapse sequence.
What Are The Benefits of Having Chronolog in the Parks?
Community Engagement and Education
Chronolog allows people to connect with nature in an interactive way while helping track gradual environmental changes that are difficult to see.
Park visitor participation in this activity also supports environmental education and ongoing stewardship in a natural resources-based park system. It creates a connection between the community, the parks they love and the land stewards working to restore and enhance these natural areas.
Ecosystem Monitoring
Many of the managed natural areas at Three Rivers are the result of long-term habitat restoration efforts. These include forests planted from native species grown at the Park District nursery, diverse native prairies planted and managed with prescribed fire, and wetland complexes where water levels are manipulated to promote plant diversity and wildlife habitats.
These stewardship activities use an adaptive management approach, requiring careful observation over time to adjust activities and promote biodiversity and resilience.
Land managers use Chronolog imagery, along with biological survey and monitoring data, to evaluate restoration projects and ecological conditions. This is increasingly important as the climate changes and invasive species pose threats to native plant communities and biodiversity.
Enhancing Visitor Experience
Three Rivers’ mission is to promote environmental stewardship through recreation and education in a natural resources-based park system. Our vision is that everyone can connect with nature every day.
Chronolog offers a pathway for park visitors to move beyond appreciation to active stewardship and long-term conservation of these resources. Chronolog monitoring is participatory and interactive, documenting ecosystem changes one photo at a time.
How Does Chronolog Work?
Chronolog is easy to use. Simply line up your phone in the bracket while holding it steady, snap a photo and follow the instructions on the signpost to submit the image.
You’ll receive a confirmation email with a link to the time-lapse sequence you contributed to, along with information about the landscape. It’s an easy way to contribute to citizen science, supporting parks and natural areas.
Where to Find Chronologs
Three Rivers has installed Chronolog stations at more than 25 locations across the Park District, including all seven park reserves. Chronolog’s interactive map provides a convenient way to explore these locations and navigate to individual Chronolog sites.
These sites were chosen by natural resources staff for their views and the management efforts dedicated to each area.
Baker Park Reserve
Site Name Chronolog # Southwest Marsh and Prairie TRP201
Carver Park Reserve
Crow-Hassan Park Reserve
Elm Creek Park Reserve
Hyland Lake Park Reserve
Lake Rebecca Park Reserve
Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve
French Regional Park
Site Name Chronolog # Turtle Lagoon TRP221
Gale Woods Farm
Site Name Chronolog # Whale Tail Lake at Canoe Launch TRP222
Mississippi Gateway Regional Park
Site Name Chronolog # East Trail Prairie TRP223
Noerenberg Memorial Gardens
Site Name Chronolog # Formal Gardens TRP224
Silverwood Park
Site Name Chronolog # Owl Woodlands (Trail 10-11 Overlook) TRP225
See Chronolog in Action
Immerse yourself in nature's beauty and watch the seasons change across the restored prairie and managed forest near Eastman Nature Center at Elm Creek Park Reserve.
You can also view other contributions on our Chronolog webpage.
Timelapse view of the prairie at Eastman Nature Center.
