Master Naturalists and Citizen Science: Building a well-trained volunteer corps

Michelle M. HaggertyTexas Master Naturalist State Program Coordinator

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

and ANROSP President

What is Citizen Science? Citizen Science is:

• Data collection projects that are designed to answer a specific scientific question.

o Projects can happen at any scale—local, state, national, continental

o Projects generally take place over the long term tracking trends/changes over time

– E.g. - How populations change distribution over time and space– E.g. - How emerging disease and pests spread through populations – E.g. - How environmental changes affect species physically

Citizen Science involves two groups• The sponsoring organization who:

o Develops the project and data collection protocolo Provides training and support where neededo Collects and analyzes data submittedo Publishes the results in scientific journals and publications

• The citizen volunteer who: o Collects and submits the data

Benefits of Citizen Science Engages a larger, more diverse audience

Gets people outdoors, involved and concerned about natural resources

Cultivates awareness which improves science literacy

Provides professionals with richer, more abundant data sets

Allows projects/programs to collect data on such a large scale that efforts could never be matched by research teams

Provides a tool for grassroots participation in government and policy making

Master Naturalist Programs Continuing education for

adults Natural resource, natural

history, and science focused

Service-oriented In-depth Typically run by state

agencies Community-based Also called Volunteer

Naturalists, Conservation Stewards, Coverts, etc.

A Master Naturalist Movement with a National Scale

Master Naturalist-type Programs in at least 28 states (AR, AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, MI, MD, MN, MO, MS, NE, NJ, OH, OK, OR, SC, TX, TN, UT, VA, WI, WV)

Some programs are local, others statewideMany additional programs in development

(HI, PA, NM, for example)Connected through Alliance of Natural

Resource Outreach and Service Programs (ANROSP)

Master Naturalist Certification

Certified Master Naturalist

+

+

=

Basic Training

Advanced Training

Volunteer Service

Master Naturalist Training25-50 hoursClassroom

componentsField and hands-

on sessionsTaught by college

faculty, state agency staff, and other local natural resource experts and educators

Topics Covered -ologies

• Botany

• Herpetology

• Ornithology

• Entomology

• Ichthyology

• Mammalogy

• Dendrology Ecology and

management of systems (e.g. wetlands, forests, estuaries, streams)

Naturalist skills Basic principles of

ecology

Core Citizen Science TopicsNature of science,

scientific processTypes of scientific

studiesComponents of a

good citizen science project

Awareness of citizen science opportunities

Core Citizen Science Skills Keeping a field notebook Proper recording of

observations Using keys to identify

organisms Using field guides Common methods used

to study different types of organisms

Observation Familiarity with local

environment and natural areas

Advanced TrainingContinuing education

hours~8-12 required

annuallyOpportunity to focus

interest and gain additional skills

Targeted at programs in need of skilled, trained volunteers

Volunteer Service~25-50 hours

required annuallyTypically done

within the local community

3 types of projects

•Education

•Stewardship

•Citizen science

Volunteering: Citizen ScienceDiversity of projects

• Local to national

•Scientist to community-driven

•Monitoring, inventory, and experimental research

Master Naturalist Program Outcomes

Thousands of volunteers trained• 5300 in Texas over 10 years

• 900 in Virginia over 3 years

• 500 in Minnesota over 3 years

Multiple evaluations conducted by individual programs have shown that course training is effective in changing participants’ knowledge and attitudes.

Thousands of service hours provided • E.g. 1.03 Million hours of service by Texas Master

Naturalist volunteers Widening community impact

• In just one year, Texas Master Naturalists reached 175,000 youth, adults, and private landowners, engaged in projects on 90,000 acres of habitat, and developed and maintained 1,000 miles of interpretative trails.

Why Partner with Master Naturalists?

Ready pool of trained volunteers

Geographically well distributed

Leaders with initiative Existing lines of

communication and infrastructure

Strong community connections

Ability to build partnerships (e.g. 4H, public lands)

Volunteer retention

How to Partner with Master Naturalist Programs…

Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach & Service Programs goals:

To provide leadership- information- and resources to support the establishment and expansion of member programs nationally and internationally.

To serve as the primary nexus of information about natural resource outreach and service programs for natural resource professionals- volunteers- and interested citizens.

To increase knowledge of best practices for natural resource outreach and service programs and encourage their adoption.

To build effective program partnerships and collaborations at the local- state- and national levels.

Acknowledgements Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach and Service

Programs (ANROSP)

•www.anrosp.org

Thank you--Michelle Prysby, Virginia Master Naturalist Program Coordinator

My Contact info: Michelle Haggerty,

• ANROSP President and

• Texas Master Naturalist Program CoordinatorTexas Parks & Wildlife Department309 Sidney Baker South Kerrville, TX 78028830-896-2504mhaggerty@ag.tamu.edu