Equitable sensemaking allows for meaningful understanding of the big ideas of science and deeper engagement in science practices. Many nonscience majors, including elementary preservice teachers (PSTs), do not have opportunities to engage in equitable sensemaking within their secondary or college-level courses. An innovative cycle to support engagement in equitable sensemaking, the Local Ecosystem Observation Cycle (LEOCycle), was used in online and in-person sections of an integrated Earth and life science undergraduate course for PSTs. In the LEOCycle, students observe, wonder, investigate, and make sense of phenomena within their local ecosystem through an online platform. The PSTs' surveys and work within the course suggested that the LEOCycle facilitated students' connections between the ideas within the course and their personal experiences and supported the development of a community of practice. The LEOCycle provides an example of how to facilitate students' equitable sensemaking of science ideas in local ecosystems within science content courses.