NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

You and your students are the scientists

Chris BowserNYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program,

National Estuarine Research Reserve, NYS Water Resource Institute at Cornell

A sampling of citizen science

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Mauritania, West Africa

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Citizen ScienceEcological Society of America: “the involvement of citizens from

the non-scientific community in academic research.”

Cornell Lab of O: : “projects in which volunteers partner with scientists to answer real-world questions."

Success depends on:• Keep it simple• Well-trained volunteers• Know when to quit!• Feedback to

volunteers• Sharing data and

stories

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

National and Regional Programs

• Bird Sleuth: MS and HS students involved in the whole scientific process of bird observations

• Watershed Dynamics: watershed inquiry and community action.

• World-Wide Monitoring Day: annual events, test kits• HBRW: stream studies, guidance document

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

A Day in the Life of the Hudson River

1 day, 3000 participants, 50 sites

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

A Day in the Life of the Hudson River

resources for educators

lesson plans

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Thursday, October 8, 2009

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Amphibian Migration & Road Crossings Project

• address issue of road mortality in migrating amphibians

• help identify important habitat areas

• engage citizen scientists and volunteers

• inform future planning or mitigation decisions

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Amphibian Migration & Road Crossings: 2009 Data

• 16 amphibian species (9 salamanders, 7 frogs & toads)

• 1,143 live and 566 dead individuals counted by volunteers

Clockwise from L to R: northern red salamander, spring peeper, spotted salamander, green frog, wood frog, Jefferson/blue-spotted salamander hybrid.

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Study design and materials

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

video and results

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

2008 Results on the Fall Kill 1228 glass eels total form April 3 to March 31

Fall Kill

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Date

# G

lass E

els

Cau

gh

t

0.00.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.0

Max T

idal H

eig

ht

Glass Eels

Tidal Height

# G

las

s E

els

Ca

ug

ht

Ma

x T

ida

l He

igh

t

NewFull Full

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

3/18/2009

3/28/2009

4/7/2009

4/17/2009

4/27/2009

5/7/2009

5/17/2009

5/27/2009

6/6/2009

Date

Mo

on

Ph

as

e

-100

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Gla

ss

ee

ls

2009 Results on the Fall Killover 3200 glass eels caught and released

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Sense of place and community

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Multiple models

• Schools• Nature centers• Community groups

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Eel “Mops”• Easy construction• Great for invertebrates• Urban applications?

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

the basics, and then some…

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

“Trees for Tribs” Replanting the Streams of the Hudson Valley

• Riparian buffer re-planting effort • Projects must be located within the

Hudson River Estuary Watershed• Open to non-profits, private

individuals, companies, state agencies, watershed groups, etc.

• Site selection• Avoid unstable stream banks & areas

with large invasive plant species infestations

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Trees for Tribs

• One day event for lots of students and families

• Restoration value• Highly visible for a

long time• Strong ecological

component

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Thank You!

Contact: Chris Bowser, Science Education Specialistchbowser@gw.dec.state.ny.us, tel: (845) 889-4745 x104

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Very special thanks to Brittany Burgio