Operation Possum was a large-scale, community-based study of possums in South Australia. In 2008, Operation Possum collected data about possum species, how people manage possums, and participants’ attitudes towards possums, with a total of 2,234 online surveys completed from 462 different suburbs and towns. The conservation of wildlife living close to people can be complex, especially when the species behaves in ways that disturb or distress people, as possums certainly do. However, we found that a general admiration of possums, with a caveat regarding their less desirable behaviours, defined the relationship with these adorable yet troublesome marsupials: the paradox of the possum. Results from this project, including information about possums, stories submitted by participants, management strategies (and their effectiveness), and an introduction to Citizen Science, have been published as a book - The Possum-Tail Tree: Understanding Possums through Citizen Science.
CitSci.org is a website supporting citizens who monitor invasive species. CitSci.org provides a mapping program that allows citizens, school groups, and professionals to enter invasive species observations into a global database. The observations are then used for natural resource management, scientific studies, and environmental education. CitSci.org offers an opportunity for students and volunteers to perform field studies that contribute to our collective biological databases.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
National Institute of Invasive Species ScienceJames Graham
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (RTHU), Archilochus colubris, are the most widely distributed of the 339 species of hummingbirds, occurring in all ten countries of North and Central America. They come frequently to nectar plants and backyard sugar water feeders and are easily observed. Nonetheless, many aspects of RTHU natural history are not well understood, so “Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project” has teamed with EarthTrek to allow citizen scientists to collect data about RTHU migration and nesting. Operation RubyThroat has been in operation since 1984 as a outreach initiative of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History in York, South Carolina USA. The project is also affiliated with The GLOBE Program, through which K-12 teachers and students make hummingbird observations and submit data through the GLOBE Web site. Now, through EarthTrek, adult citizen scientists and independent students also can contribute important data to the overall Operation RubyThroat project. Principal Investigator for Operation RubyThroat is Bill Hilton Jr., an internationally known educator-naturalist recognized by Discover Magazine as one of the top ten citizen scientists. Each winter Bill takes groups of adult citizen scientists to Central America to help with hands-on studies of RTHU on their wintering grounds. These trips to Central America are coordinated through Holbrook Travel, one of EarthTrek's concept partners; while in the Neotropics participants continue to collect RTHU data to earn additional EarthTrek points through participation in Operation RubyThroat. To learn about these successes—or to find out how you can join Bill on one of his exciting trips in 2010 or beyond—please visit the Operation RubyThroat Web site. You may also wish to keep abreast of hummingbird activities and other natural history happenings by subscribing to "This Week at Hilton Pond," a regular series of award-winning photo essays written by Bill and available on line through the Hilton Pond Web site.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
California NatureMapping is starting up through individual Centers that are trained and supported by the National NatureMapping Program. The goals are the same to link natural resource agencies with citizens and schools through biodiversity data collection and analyses. Currently, K-12 students are the main focus for NatureMapping training and local research projects. These projects include inventorying and monitoring wildlife through the Fresno County Schools and bioblitzes and tracking in the Bay area.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Karen DvornichRiekes Center for Human EnhancementScout Island Education Center
Washington NatureMapping links natural resource agencies with citizens and schools through biodivesity data collection and analyses. NatMappers report observations of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, nearshore marine, aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates either using Naturetracker data collection software on Pocket PC's or spreadsheets. NatMappers can report observations as individuals or working on field research projects through certified NatureMapping Centers. These data are used for statewide and local land planning and for communities to learn what in their own backyards.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
University of WashingtonWashington Department of Fish and WildlifePacific Education InstituteKevin Dvornich
Observations taken each year at the same place over a long period of time are valuable for showing phenological trends. The Konza Environmental Education Program (KEEP) began recording phenological events at Konza Prairie several years ago, and those observations are posted on the KEEP website. “What’s Blooming?” lists the procession of native plant species in bloom, and “Who’s Here?” lists the first sightings of the most common birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects that migrate, hibernate or otherwise appear on the landscape after an absence. A phenology database is available for each of the animal groups and also for plants that are commonly found on Konza Prairie in Kansas. These lists are not exhaustive but represent those plants and animals easily observed or abundant. The data added by volunteers and students becomes part of a long-term data set to show trends and relationships among plants or animals across Kansas. Phenology of the tallgrass prairie is observed by volunteers annually for the last eight yeas for the plant community and for the last five years for animals.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Konza Prairie Biological StationValerie Wright
Monarch is an educational outreach program based at the University of Kansas with a focus on education, research and conservation. To facilitate science education, we promote the use of monarch butterflies in classrooms and for independent studies of monarch biology by students. Through monarch tagging we engage the public in research on the monarch migration and dynamics of the population. Our conservation message is articulated through our Monarch Waystation program that encourages the public to create, conserve and protect monarch habitats.
The intent of this network is to encourage volunteers to get involved with our annual horseshoe crab monitoring program on various reference beaches throughout New York’s Marine District. “Citizen Scientists” will work with trained site coordinators to help collect data on horseshoe crab spawning abundance, size, sex and tag returns around full and new moon evenings from May to July. The data collected through this program is used to assess the status of horseshoe crabs in NY State, and will help determine the management and conservation of this important species throughout the region.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Matthew SclafaniNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Nanoscale science and engineering study and create materials and devices on the molecular scale. The Nanobiotechnology Center, a National Science Foundation supported Science and Technology Center, collaborated with Ithaca, New York's Sciencenter, a hands-on museum, and Painted Universe, Inc. an exhibition design-and-fabrication team, to create It's a NanoWorld, a 3,000 square-foot, hands-on traveling exhibition. Edu, Inc., an external evaluation group, led front-end research and formative evaluation to guide and refine development of the exhibition. Summative evaluation investigated visitors'
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Douglas SpencerCornell UniversityVictoria AngelottiSciencenter
The project includes a simulation based Family Learning Program to be administered through the International Challenger Learning Center (CLC) network. The goal is to develop families' skills in learning as a team through science, math and technology (SMT) in an environment where parents and children are co-travelers in a world of ideas. PACCT is disseminated through ten of the Challenger Learning Centers reaching 22,000 families nationwide. Many of these activities are completed in the home at no cost to the anticipated 12,500 participating families. Through this network of centers, all types of communities are served in many states. The activities include Sim-U-Voyages, where family teams work at home; Sim-U-Challenges, where families create a physical model responding to a challenge; Sim-U-Visits, where families hear from scientists and work as scientists in a team solving a problem; and Sim-U-Ventures, which result in flying a mission. Cost sharing is 8%.
In the Community Science Learning through Youth Astronomy Apprenticeships (YAA) project, underrepresented urban high school youths, working with recent college grads, conducted astronomy investigations, then translated their personal learning and enthusiasm into outreach programs for younger children, families and community members in an astronomy and space science program. Science education centers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Boston community-based after school centers and the Institute for Learning Innovation collaborated.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Irene PorroMary DussaultSusan O'ConnorJohn Belcher