This blog post originally appeared on our Rockies Expeditions blog on June 28th. Our 2013 Spine of the Rockies Expedition is investigating Large Landscape Conservation through methods of visual and social media while connecting to the Rocky Mountain Region’s strong ties to outdoor recreation and wild spaces. For more on the expedition, visit: www.RockiesExpeditions.org
Citizen science addresses the gap that exists between citizens and scientists. It is not entirely a new idea. The Audubon Society, for instance, has been using every day citizens to count and observe birds for over a century. Now, however, new technology makes it even easier for non-scientists to contribute to scientific discovery.
A black capped chickadee we enountered
Made possible by crowdsourcing websites and smartphones, recent citizen science efforts allow everyday people to contribute their observations to scientific studies and databases, and learn more about the world around them. The power of citizen science for conservation, however, is not just in providing scientists with useful data. All of us “citizens” providing our observations may become more engaged with our natural surroundings, and learn more about the scientific efforts we contribute to.
Our team feels a strong commitment to promoting the use of citizen science throughout the scientific and outdoors communities. The State of the Rockies Project began incorporating citizen science efforts into its mission two years ago. The expedition team offers a perfect opportunity for us to collect data as we seek out the remaining wild places of the Rocky Mountains. Last year on the Down the Colorado Expedition, we collected soil samples and water quality observations with Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation. This year on the Spine of the Rockies Expedition, we are sharing our wildlife sightings and plant observations through iNaturalist.org, a website that allows users to upload geotagged photos for use in scientific databases.
Citizen science capitalizes on the accessibility of crowdsourcing technology and the individual’s power of observation to create a forum through which scientists obtain useful data and the everyday “citizen” can become more engaged and learn about their surroundings.
Make sure to check out these great citizen science resources and learn how you can get involved, learn a lot, and have fun. And remember, these are just a few of the ways you can get involved.:
Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation
Written by Patrick Hughes, a State of the Rockies Field ResearcherPhotos by David Spiegel
