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Emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic severely altered the lives of people worldwide (Bates et al. 2020). Governments responded by declaring and implementing restrictions on social life aimed at curbing the spread of the virus, including mandatory lockdowns, the closure of public spaces, and social distancing (Hale et al. 2021). The combination of COVID-19 and associated restrictions resulted in widespread mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, boredom, and social isolation (Brooks et al. 2020; Qiu et al. 2020; Xiong et al. 2020). COVID-19 control measures reduced access to realworld social infrastructure. Pandemic restrictions limited social activity and strained community cohesion (Brooks e t al. 2020). It closed schools, brought travel to a stand-still (Wilder-Smith and Freedman 2020), and shifted activities to virtual environments, increasing the importance of the internet as social infrastructure (Schmidt and Power 2021). Enforced physical isolation catalyzed new approaches and infrastructure (such as the widespread adoption of Zoom among the general public) that could boost social connectedness.

Families and individuals sought out alternative ways to connect with the outside world. This included observing nature (Crimmins et al. 2021) as well as increasing engagement in online communities—both of which can be provided by participation in citizen and community science (CCS)(Schuttler et al. 2018). For example, CCS project introduction events, conceived as in-person events at public libraries, moved to Zoom and were open to anyone who registered. SciStarter, with support from the National Library of …