Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (Tremont Institute) is a residential environmental education center that has been connecting people and nature in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for 45 years, and one of the ways we accomplish our mission is by facilitating deep connections through hands-on field research. We coordinate a number of citizen science research projects that contribute to our understanding of the ecosystems and animals that comprise this exceedingly biodiverse national park. All of our participants, from summer campers to college students, from 5th graders to retired hiking enthusiasts, have opportunities to be scientists as they engage in collecting data, developing a sense of ownership for projects and subjects that previously seemed inaccessible or scary.