1 / 21

Utilizing Citizen Science to Reach Your Natural Resource Objectives

Learn how to engage the public in collecting and analyzing data related to the natural world for your park's resource management goals. Explore past and present citizen science projects and discover the economic impact of volunteering. Gain insights on identifying objectives, evaluating resources, and finding suitable partners. Join the discussion to share your own experiences and learn from others. Contact Brittany Davis Swinford at Brittany.Davis@indy.gov or Tom Swinford at TSwinford@dnr.in.gov.

lockes
Download Presentation

Utilizing Citizen Science to Reach Your Natural Resource Objectives

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Utilizing Citizen Science to Reach Your Natural Resource Objectives Brittany Davis Swinford – Indy Parks Tom Swinford – IDNR Division of Nature Preserves

  2. What is Citizen Science?

  3. cit·i·zen sci·ence “the collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the general public, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists” (Oxford English Dictionary 2014)

  4. Citizen Science ProjectsPast and Present Smithsonian Snapshot Series

  5. Photo by Audubon.org The world’s longest running citizen science project est. 1900

  6. Charles C. Deam, hobbyist?1865-1953 Plant specimens collected: 78,000 New plant species discovered: 25 Plants bearing his name: 48 Pub. 1940 Sycamore Land Trust

  7. Demonstration • In 2017- 3,179,157 observations were recorded (87,381 species) • 1/3 of all known vertebrates in the world have been recorded on iNaturalist

  8. Identifying natural resource objectives for your park: • Create a nice place to hike? • Habitat restoration • Removal of invasives • Build partnerships • Promote conservation values • Conduct a species inventory • Provide environmental education

  9. Evaluate your available resources • Identify gaps • Create a “wish list” of resources • Consider possible partners

  10. Group DiscussionResource Management wish list

  11. What type of volunteers are you seeking for citizen science? • Where to look: • Master Naturalists & Master Gardeners • schools & universities • Audubon chapters • environmental interest groups • outdoor adventure groups • visitors mutually beneficial?

  12. Grant Funded • Partnership Summit • Installation • Programming • Evaluation of Project

  13. Indiana Natural Heritage Data Center est. 1978 • Heritage Database Contains: • Over 1,000 records of federally endangered species • 12,000 records of state listed species • 1,300 records of high quality natural communities • Identifies 700 significant natural areas throughout the state Photo by Paul Labus, Indiana

  14. 24-hour survey of every living thing! A “snapshot” of the ecology of the park BioBlitz • Engaging youth and adults to take interest in nature • Bringing awareness of biodiversity • Creating new, or validating known species list for your property • management plans • tracking invasive species or species of concern • guide future research projects • baseline data

  15. Eagle Creek Bioblitz, 2018

  16. Additional Citizen Science Projects at Eagle Creek Park:Breeding Bird Surveys, Great Backyard Bird Count, CBCBluebird Nest Box MonitoringFrog WatchMonarch WatchPlant surveysDeer BrowseGame FishHerpetofaunal Surveys

  17. Economic Impact Volunteers contribute up to $2.5 billion to biodiversity research annually E.J. Theobold, 2015 Eagle Creek Volunteers donated 10,700 hours valued at $181,900 for 2017

  18. Group Discussion: What citizen science projects have you implemented at your park?

  19. April 13, 2019

  20. Thank You! Brittany.Davis@indy.gov TSwinford@dnr.in.gov

More Related