Catch the Citizen Science Buzz!

Transcription

1 Catch the Citizen Science Buzz! Utilizing Citizen Science to Inform Land Management Decisions Tina Stephens, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Becky Gajewski, Stewardship Specialist

2 Why are you here?

3 What is Natural Area Preservation? NAP is part of the City of Ann Arbor s Parks and Recreation Department and is funded by the voterapproved Parks Maintenance and Capital Improvements Millage. Created in 1993, NAP s mission is to protect and restore Ann Arbor s natural areas and to foster an environmental ethic among its citizens. NAP is divided into three main areas that all contribute to ecological restoration efforts in Ann Arbor s parks. Outreach team Field crew Inventory team

4 NAP s Volunteers NAP has a small staff, but thousands of volunteers In 2017 we had 2,496 individual volunteers who reported 10,666 hours We engage volunteers in all aspects of NAP Land Management Construction Projects Clerical Tasks Planning Promotion and Outreach Plant and Animal Monitoring

5 Benefits of Engaging Volunteers Enhances services Additional skills and education Improved perception of operations Builds advocates for policies and services Promotes strong democracy and citizen participation A volunteer program DOES NOT Replace paid staff Save dollars Come for free

6 Land Management Techniques How do we manage land? Hand pulling Mechanical Control Herbicide Controlled fire Education Who does the work? Field crew of 2-6 Volunteers In 2017, NAP volunteers reported 8,385 hours of restoration activities

7 Inventory Program What exactly are we inventorying? Plants Birds Frogs, toads, salamanders, turtles (herps) Butterflies Mammals (in the past) Change over time through photo-monitoring Who completes the inventories? Two staff field biologists Contractors Volunteers! In 2017, NAP inventory volunteers reported: 1,307 hours 26,665 individuals observed

8 What is Citizen Science?

9 Our Citizen Science Programs Each program has a kickoff training, where volunteers are trained in survey methods and species ID. Breeding Bird Survey Volunteers visit established monitoring points for a period of time and watch birds for signs of breeding behavior. Frog and Toad Survey Volunteers visit established monitoring points and listen for calls, recording the species and level of calling. Salamander Survey Volunteers walk meandering routes around vernal pools, turning cover and watching for salamander migration. They also look within the pools for evidence of breeding.

10 Our Citizen Science Programs Butterfly Survey Volunteers walk established routes through several different habitat types and record butterfly species they observe. Photo-monitoring Volunteers visit established points throughout parks several times per year each year and take a photograph of the same scene each time

11 Citizen Science Tools NAP Uses

12 Citizen Science Tools NAP Uses

13 How do we use the results? Focusing our restoration activities Enhancing habitat for T, E, and SC species Determining appropriate restoration activities Should we cut shrubs here? (Hooded warblers (SC) need shrubby structure for nesting) Should we burn here? (Silvery checkerspot needs prairie habitat that is being overgrown) Should we control this invasive species? (Wild indigo duskywing uses crown vetch as a host plant) Timing of management activities Prescribed burning, salamander migration, and snake hibernation Mowing, dickcissels (SC) and bobolinks T

14 How do we use the results? Managing wildlife populations Constructing artificial nesting sites Relocating nests

15 How do we use the results? Monitoring progress Are our restoration techniques working? Do we need to re-visit some sites? Site planning to avoid sensitive species

16 Global Impact ebird Cornell Lab of Ornithology & Audubon Data are made public to share with global community of educators, land managers, ornithologists, and conservation biologists. Michigan Herp Atlas Michigan Department of Natural Resources & Herpetological Resource and Management Data are used to document the distribution of herps and changes in their populations over time, as well as measuring species health. HerpMapper Nonprofit organization Data are shared with research, conservation, and preservation organizations all over the world.

17 Global Impact Michigan Butterfly Network Kalamazoo Nature Center Data are used to assess the changing population status of Michigan s butterfly species, evaluate the quality of Michigan ecosystems, and engage the Michigan public in significant citizen science research. Michigan Bat Monitoring Program Organization for Bat Conservation & MDNR Data are used to monitor all types of habitats across Michigan to begin to understand how the number and types of species in those habitats changes over time. Picture Post (pilot in 2018) University of New Hampshire, NASA Supporting citizen environmental monitoring through photographs and aerial images. Images are made public on their website.

18 Want to Start your own Citizen Science Project? Handout with resources Funding is available from the U.S. Forest Service: Contact Lisa Perez with questions Lisa Perez Detroit Urban Connections Coordinator Forest Service p: f:

19 What Citizen Science Tools do you Use?

20 Questions? Thank you! Tina Stephens, Becky Gajewski,