Environmental protection as a movement is broadening to both invite and require the participation and energy of everyone, including federal agencies, local governments, activists, and enthusiasts. Citizen science and community science, approaches rooted in non-traditional partnerships and diverse participation, are a strong approach to science, and they are especially strong approaches to a wide range of outcomes with direct impacts on the protection of the environment, from civic engagement all the way to enforcement action. There is evidence that institutions and agencies are moving towards more inclusive visions of their missions, and citizen and community scientists are motivated to engage. We propose a spectrum of engagement that defines opportunities for citizen science and community science beyond the participation of volunteers in institution-driven or scientist-driven research; we also provide examples of projects and efforts that have led to outcomes for each of the spectrum categories. We argue that the impact of citizen science and community science can be strengthened through the recognition of a wide range of partnership structures, including long-term community documentation, community pattern identification, community problem source identification, and advocacy to community. Citizen science and community science represent a more inclusive version of science, and provide a model for embracing truly collaborative environmental protection, as well.

/pdf/citizen-science-across-a-spectrum-building-partnerships-to-3sk47eqcd6.pdf

Citizen Science Across a Spectrum: Building Partnerships to Broaden the Impact of Citizen Science

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) [CRN3056]; U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) [GEO-1128040, DEB-101049]; IAI SGP-CRA [005, GEO-1138881]

Historical Analysis of Riparian Vegetation Change in Response to Shifting Management Objectives on the Middle Rio Grande

We used a vulnerability scoring system to assess the vulnerability of 117 vertebrate species that occur in the Middle Rio Grande Bosque (MRGB) to expected climate change. The purpose of this project was to guide wildlife managers on options and considerations for climate change adaptation. The 117 species occur regularly in the MRGB during the breeding season, winter, or year-round. In general, future climate scenarios predict warmer temperatures with an altered precipitation regime that will likely lead to reduced water levels in the MRGB. This assessment points to several key issues relating to future habitat changes and individual species physiology that are expected to affect species survival under climate change. Decreased availability of mesic sites is expected to directly impact many amphibian and reptile populations and is expected to have indirect affects for birds and mammals primarily through changes in habitat availability. We predicted that phenological changes will negatively impact many species within all taxonomic groups through altered timing of weather events and river flow. Riparian-dependent species received some of the highest vulnerability scores. Species already at the southern limit of their distributional range were also predicted to be more likely to be vulnerable to climate change. The assessment also identified important data gaps. Management for species conservation under future climate conditions will require increased research and monitoring, greater integration of landscape-scale approaches, consideration of future land-use scenarios, and increased understanding of the consequences of species’ interactions. We review the specific implications of climate change for wildlife in the MRGB in order to identify intervention points and approaches that may achieve management goals.

https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr306.pdf

Vulnerability of species to climate change in the Southwest: terrestrial species of the Middle Rio Grande


Citizen Science is believed to contribute significantly to the democratisation of science, engaging non-scientists in scientific research. Participatory approaches to science communication share the same interest through public participation and public engagement. In the attempt to connect these two debates both theoretically and empirically, we provide an analysis of the communication tools and strategies used by 157 Citizen Science projects across the EU, UK, and Switzerland. Our analysis reports that the CS projects surveyed tend to interpret communication as a disseminating activity, rather than as a tool to promote appropriate communication-based encounters with both project participants and other potential target audiences.

/pdf/citizen-science-and-participatory-science-communication-an-3quvu57o.pdf

Citizen science and participatory science communication: an empirically informed discussion connecting research and theory

In 1998, a riparian restoration demonstration project was initiated with a target of efficiently establishing a dynamic patch mosaic of vegetation communities along a regulated river using available water and sediment and remaining natural hydrological processes. A point bar along the Middle Rio Grande, Albuquerque, New Mexico, dominated by the non-native shrub Elaeagnus angustifolia (Russian olive), was mechanically treated by removing all vegetation and lowering a portion of the bar to allow overbank flooding during typical spring releases from an upstream dam (Cochiti Dam). Side channels and small islands were engineered in the lowered bar to slow flood waters, aid sediment deposition, and add site complexity. After treatment, a high-resolution monitoring grid was installed to track vegetation changes. Following an initial flood in the spring of 1998, over 10,000 cottonwoods per ha naturally established, but densities varied based on the fluvial landforms. Zones that were sufficiently wetted or naturally formed behind large woody debris were the most successful, while the artificial fill zone and the portion of the bar not lowered had the least native riparian tree recruitment. Over 15 years, cottonwood numbers declined through intraspecific competition and beaver browsing at all sites, but they continued to dominate. Natives also dominated a species-rich herbaceous layer, particularly on the lowered sites. The incursion of a new herbaceous invader, Saccharum ravennae (ravennagrass), was an unexpected outcome revealed by the long-term monitoring record. Yet, based on several criteria, the site reflects a successful application of a natural-process approach to restoration that can lead to increased ecosystem complexity and resilience.

Long-term Outcomes of Natural-process Riparian Restoration on a Regulated River Site: The Rio Grande Albuquerque Overbank Project after 16 Years

Extensive regulation of the Middle Rio Grande's natural flow regime, together with the effects of introduced tree species, landscape fragmentation, and increasing wildfires, are obstacles for any level of restoration of its native riparian forest (bosque). However, carefully monitored partial restoration is possible and greatly needed to prevent the bosque's serious decline. Monitoring can reveal temporal and spatial changes in the bosque's ecological dynamics. The Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program, which currently uses volunteers to synchronously record changes in biological populations and ecological processes at four sites in the middle valley, shows how this can be done. Partial restoration depends on well timed releases following heavy spring runoff. When these exceed bankfull stage, overbank flooding will (1) establish new cottonwood-willow stands at suitable locations and (2) enhance ecological maintenance of mature stands. Partial restoration can potentially involve alternative, non mutually exclusive manipulations of the river's hydrology within a given reach. A different approach, currently exemplified by the Albuquerque Overbank Project, involves lowering a bank so that natural flooding can establish new native vegetation. These conceptual and empirical efforts can build a foundation for bosque managers to assess where modified native bosque can persist, and can be the beginning of a comprehensive program to manage the riparian forest on a sustainable basis.

https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_p007/rmrs_p007_158_163.pdf

Restoration and monitoring in the Middle Rio Grande Bosque: Current status of flood pulse related efforts

Despite the rapid expansion of citizen-based monitoring, data from these programs remain underutilized by natural resource managers, perhaps due to quality and comparability issues. We present the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program as a case study of an initiative successfully meeting long-term monitoring needs of federal, state, tribal, and local natural resource managers, and informing public policy. To maximize potential for partnerships with managers, we recommend the creation of a five-year plan including scientific goals and financial solvency strategies prior to establishing a citizen science program, and offering multiple platforms for data-sharing and dialogue. Abstract

/pdf/bringing-citizen-monitoring-into-land-management-a-case-3g4hhh3bmz.pdf

Bringing citizen monitoring into land management: a case study of the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program

Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program (BEMP): Third Supplement: 2004-2005

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Restoration and monitoring in the Middle Rio Grande Bosque: Current status of flood pulse related efforts

Bringing citizen monitoring into land management: a case study of the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program

Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program (BEMP): Third Supplement: 2004-2005