Use of Biomonitoring Data Collected by Citizen Scientists for Stream Management.
Presentation Abstract
Macroinvertebrate data collected by citizens and other non-professional volunteers have the potential to generate large amounts of data for environmental management while at the same time engaging the public in local stream monitoring projects and restoration efforts . However, there is concern about the quality and use of data collected by volunteers who have little or no scientific training. This presentation describes a macroinvertebrate sampling procedure designed for Citizen Science and examines nine years of biannual data collected by volunteers using the method to monitor two streams in western Oregon. Over the study period, family-level macroinvertebrate data collected by volunteers was highly variable (avg CV 0.3-0.6) but strongly correlated with climate-related factors (R2 = 0.22-0.49). The results of this investigation suggest that monitoring data collected by Citizen Scientists would likely detect major changes in macroinvertebrate populations and also provide long-term data sets needed to monitor the effects of climate change on stream biotic communities. From a stream management perspective, the findings of this study support the use of citizen science programs to augment or expand current efforts to monitor stream invertebrate communities.
Session Title
Session S-05I: Education, Communication, and Citizen Science
Conference Track
Citizens/Education
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 10:30 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 12:00 PM
Location
Room 604
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Stream ecology--Oregon, Western--Citizen participation; Environmental monitoring--Oregon, Western--Citizen participation; Biotic communities--Oregon, Western--Citizen participation
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Oregon, Western
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Use of Biomonitoring Data Collected by Citizen Scientists for Stream Management.
Room 604
Macroinvertebrate data collected by citizens and other non-professional volunteers have the potential to generate large amounts of data for environmental management while at the same time engaging the public in local stream monitoring projects and restoration efforts . However, there is concern about the quality and use of data collected by volunteers who have little or no scientific training. This presentation describes a macroinvertebrate sampling procedure designed for Citizen Science and examines nine years of biannual data collected by volunteers using the method to monitor two streams in western Oregon. Over the study period, family-level macroinvertebrate data collected by volunteers was highly variable (avg CV 0.3-0.6) but strongly correlated with climate-related factors (R2 = 0.22-0.49). The results of this investigation suggest that monitoring data collected by Citizen Scientists would likely detect major changes in macroinvertebrate populations and also provide long-term data sets needed to monitor the effects of climate change on stream biotic communities. From a stream management perspective, the findings of this study support the use of citizen science programs to augment or expand current efforts to monitor stream invertebrate communities.
