Engaging volunteers in tracking seasonal & long-term environmental change Nature’s Notebook:...

Engaging volunteers in tracking seasonal & long-term environmental change

Nature’s Notebook:

LoriAnne Barnett

Education Coordinator

December 2, 2015

Today‘s Discussion Learn how to use Nature’s Notebook citizen and

professional science program

View regional networks collaboratively for education, outreach, management and science

View how to download and/or visualize NPDb data

Describe how to get started

UNDERSTAND HOW SPECIES AND LANDSCAPES ARE

RESPONDING TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

Primary goal• Create a standardized, long-term

dataset for use in multiple types of research.

Mission• Make phenology data, models

and related information available.

• Encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to observe and record phenology.

Photo credit: C. Enquist

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• ~6,200 active observers• ~7,700 active sites• 6.3+ records • Lilac data from 1956• 1016 taxa from 2009

https://crowdsourcing-toolkit.sites.usa.gov

Observations

RECORD KEEPING

YES

NO

?

One or more open, fresh flowers are visible on the plant. Flowers are considered "open" when the reproductive parts (male stamens or female pistils) are visible between or within unfolded or open flower parts (petals, floral tubes or sepals). Do not include wilted or dried flowers.

Do you see…open flowers?

Velvet mesquite, Prosopis velutina Imag

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Leaves

Flowers

Fruits

Trees and shrubs – Deciduous with pollenNorthern red oak, Quercus rubra Im

age

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llen

G. D

enny

SongbirdsNorthern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis

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Reproduction

Development

Method

Common loon

Activity

Reproduction

Method

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199,

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Mobile app interface

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Valle de Oro NWR, Albuquerque

Santa Fe Botanical Gardens

ABQ BioPark Botanic Gardens

Valle de Oro NWR

Sevilleta NWR

Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area

Bosque del Apache NWR

Bernardo Wildlife AreaRio Grande Phenology Trail:Green represent the current RGPT Partners, yellow represent other locations that have expressed interest in joining the Trail

Randall Davies Audubon Center

Valle de Oro NWR, Albuquerque

2015

2014

2015

2014

2015

2014

2015

2014

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0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330

Phenology calendar of focal species at Valle de Oro NWR, 2014-2015

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Prepared by E. Posthumus using the USA-NPN Visualization tool

Volunteer Engagement

Who observes phenology?• Scientists

• Gardeners/Agriculturists• Land managers

• Educators• Youth

Photo credit: C. Enquist

Photo credit: P. Warren

Photo credit: S. Schaffer

Seasonal changes in the Mid-Atlantic

Reproduction Development MethodActivity

ANIMAL >> Mammal, Bird, Snake, Insect

Flowers FruitsLeaves

PLANT

Observable life cycle events orPHENOPHASES

Vegetable Gardening

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Photo credit: E. Stemmy

• Feeding times• Following brackish

waters• Water

temperature• Spawning times

related to temp - 55° - 68° F in Chesapeake Bay. April peak?

Chesapeake Bay Spring Season for Striped Bass = May 16 – June 16

Understanding outdoor recreation schedules

Land management decisions

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Acer rubrum (red maple); Photo credit: D. Hartel

Observing the same individual through the seasons

Garden re-created

Photo credit: Monticello

Cloned lilac program

HISTORIC LILAC NETWORKESTABLISHED IN THE

1950S

SANTA RITA EXPERIMENTAL RANGE,

GREEN VALLEY, AZ

Photo credit: L. Barnett


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Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons


David Bertelsen,

Naturalist

What’s Phenology

Finger Rock – Santa Catalina Mtns, TucsonFinger Rock Trail, Santa Catalina MtnsTucson, AZ

Courtesy: T.M. Crimmins

The Finger Rock Dataset

• Collected by a single individual• 1984-present• 1480+ round-trip hikes (10 miles), 4158’ elevation gain• Approximately weekly• 587 flowering plant taxa (group of species)• 155K+ records of plant flowering. • 73,000 vertebrate records

Photo credit: B. Wilder

www.globalchange.gov

Sea level rise 1-2 inches per decade

Birds winter ranges will change – how? Where?

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Frequent and severe floods and drought

Reduction in biodiversity

How Will Climate Change Affect theMid-Atlantic Region?

Invasive species that thrive in warmer and wetterenvironments could displace beneficial Mid-Atlanticspecies and create pest control problems.

Participate forMore than one

year

Phenology Networks

https://www.usanpn.org/nn/groups/pnc

Understanding Phenology

Phenology Networks Historic Records

Phenology Networks

Established in 2012 and covering 75 miles in the greater Tucson area, the Tucson Phenology Trail links UA to the community while encouraging: active, outdoor education asking and answering local science, management and climate questions connection via like-minded organizations through participation in a

shared community science and research project

Tucson Phenology Trail

Community Engagement

Phenology Networks

Phenology Networks

• Funding being sought via NPS Climate Change

Program

• Harpers Ferry and Chesapeake & Ohio Canal

Good Possibilities and are interested

• AT Seasons protocols are the same used by the

NETN I&M Network and the NPDb

• Contact Tim Watkins [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


People. Meaningful Committed Exited to

contribute to actual research

Supported

Where to begin?

Design a monitoring question

• Select plants and animals to observe• Already being monitored • Baseline, trends, existing datasets• Regional interest

①Milkweed

②Red oak

③White oak

④White pine

⑤Tulip poplar

⑥Hickory

⑦Red maple

⑧Ash

Identify Natives:

①Honey bee

②Monarch

③Eastern bluebird

④Ruby-throated hummingbird

⑤Eastern tent caterpillar

Identify Natives or species of interest:

Set up a monitoring site or sites

• Select plants and animals to observe• Locally use Nature’s Notebook in

outreach and education as well as management

Resources

https://www.usanpn.org/nn/connect/project


Create accounts in Nature’s Notebook

Resources

www.usanpn.org/nn/guidelines

Summary words …

MeaningfulLong-termPlanned and organizedScience and educationThemed

Connect with USA-NPN…

• Become an observer

• Discover new tools and resources

• Visit a local phenology trail

LoriAnne [email protected]

www.facebook.com/USANPN

www.pinterest.com/USANPN

www.twitter.com/@loriannebarnett

www.instagram/tucson_phenology_trail



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