Citizen Science Project: Caterpillars Count! (NR5724) - Project Design (2)

Hello,

Welcome to the second part of a four part series about citizen science projects, specifically Caterpillars Count! In the first installment, we briefly talked about what a citizen science project is as well as one that was just conducted and still ongoing. 

Now, we'll take a closer look at a few design aspects that one may consider during their individual endeavor, with the goal of satisfying the following questions. Please note that the individual answers pertain to this current project, Caterpillars Count!

1) What happens to the data you'll be collecting? 

The data collected is uploaded onto the Caterpillars Count! app or via the website under each survey area created by the user. The data is then compiled by the Pheno Mismatch project. 

 

    How is it used? 

The data collected on the abundance and phenology of caterpillars and other insects during the growing season (spring and summer) is used by researchers to relate trends in arthropod populations to bird population trends in our survey area, Haw River Trail, to better understand how changes in climate and land use impact the respective plants and animals. 

    Are the project managers losing any opportunities in how they use the data?

Based on my experience thus far in the project and after review of the specific parameters, I feel that project managers are not losing any opportunities.

2) Are there aspects of the project design that might be problematic? Things you'd change?

App and web-based interface - The potential exists for user error based on the relative technical nature of the survey applications, specifically the "branch survey code." Training is provided on "how to use." However, I would  suggest potentially an associated tutorial video for those novice users.

3) Are there aspects of the project design that are innovative or clever?

 Despite the potential "user" issues with the app and web-based interface, it is innovatively designed in the systematic surveying process from site to arthropod to plant information, following a systematic research method.

4) How have the results of this project been shared (or will be shared in the future)?

The results are shared via a data exploration page that allows you the ability to see your results as well as compared to other survey sites.

    Is the focus on communicating directly with other scientists? With the public? Both?

The focus is on a cooperative effort to establish links between the citizen scientists, researchers, and the public. I have attached the direct link to the Data Explorations page. that help to illustrate this concerted front.

Data explorations page

Hope you enjoy the 2nd part, project design. More to follow with Public Outreach, 3rd part of this series. As always, feedback is highly welcomed and encouraged.

Thank you.

Regards,

Waterboy1981

Citizen Science Project: Caterpillars Count! (NR5724) - Introduction (1)

Home To Sea Followers,

Hello. As we are all aware, the world is quite a large place, much too large for the number of scientists and conservationists to attend to. Luckily, the effort to protect, preserve, and conserve our planet does not have to fall solely on their shoulders. Solution - Citizen Science Projects. As defined by the Oxford dictionary, a citizen science project is "scientific work undertaken by members of the general public, often in collaboration with or under the direction of professional scientists and scientific institutions." Who is the general public? That's you and I.

In this series, we will dig a bit into a citizen science project that I conducted, "Caterpillars Count!," Caterpillars Count!. This citizen science project is part is led by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, part of the Pheno Mismatch, funded by the National Science Foundation.

So, now to the what and why? The purpose of this project is for measuring the seasonal variation, also known as phenology, and abundance of arthropods such as caterpillars, beetles, and spiders found on the foliage of trees and shrubs. The reference noted below was the jumping point for this project as well as the larger project, Pheno Mismatch.

If you remember our post on invasive species, some of those will circle back around in this series as well as one we did not cover. In addition, we will look at a few other arthropods besides just caterpillars, beetles, spiders. To spice it up even further, we will throw in a gastropod or two, which ties back into our invasive species conversation.

In any good citizen science project endeavor, it can important for one to examine the framework for strengths as well as potential areas of development. With that said, this series will be broken down into the following posts: Introduction, Project Design, Public Outreach, and Participation Journal which includes the data results of the week long project. 

Please do note that this will remain an ongoing project with future posts/data to follow. 

Reference:

Mayor, S.J, R.P. Guralnick, M.W. Tingley, J. Otegui, J.C. Withey, S.C. Elmendorf, M.E. Andrew, L Leyk, I.S. Pearse, & D.C. Schneider. 2017. Increasing asynchrony between arrival of migratory birds and spring green-up. Scientific Reports, 7:1902. 

Forest for the Trees, Yes!: Local tree species of the Haw River

Hello again all,

In this installment, we look to dive into the world of dendrology, the scientific study of trees. Of the 655 species of trees in North Carolina, we are going to briefly explore 9 species that were identified during my journey down the Haw River trail in Swepsonville, NC. 

As an ever evolving conservationist, lover of nature, this journey was one of the most fun filled, educational, and surprisingly challenging/eye opening. 

I have included some tid bits of lessons learned in the attached power point that will hopefully assist and inspire you to take a similar journey.

Please enjoy and feedback is highly welcomed.

Thank you.

Regards,

Waterboy1981

Forest for the Trees, Yes!

Invasive Plants in Alamance County

To all,

Hello again. I do hope all has been well. During our journey towards a well-rounded conservation effort for the Haw River, it is important to cover each piece of the puzzle. One such piece is the identification of invasive species with the hope of churning the mind towards potential solutions.

I have attached a foundational power point on a few invasive species in Alamance County, of which all can be found along the Haw River Trail.

Please enjoy and provide feedback.

Thanks,

Waterboy1981

Invasive Species of Alamance County

Climate and Weather: Need to know, look no further or do and please share!

Climate and Weather. Two things that used to be primarily in the wheelhouse of Mother Nature. However, as we know, our foothold on these things seems to be pushing against her. 

Regardless of the activity, field study, project, or wanting to see the beauty of nature, climate and weather directly impact the what, when, where, how, and why. 

So, I decided to provide a myriad of resources for the daily walkabout to the deep in the weeds extensive field study. Each are broken down into user friendly categories. **Disclaimer: This is not to say that each link is limited to any one such individual. I encourage everyone to take a gander at each with the hope of helping all of us.

Please let me know what you think and if I can add any additional resources. We are all in this together.

Thanks, 

Waterboy1981

Climate and Weather links

Daily Walkabout

1) http://www.iweathernet.com/

2) http://www.weather.com/

3) http://www.nws.noaa.gov/

4) http://asp.usatoday.com/weather/weatherfront.aspx

5) http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/

6) http://www.wunderground.com/

Deep in the Weeds (Data. Maps, Imagery)

1) https://www.nws.noaa.gov/oh/ahps/ (Hydrological prediction)

2) http://www.spc.noaa.gov/obswx/maps/ (Storm prediction)

3) http://mp1.met.psu.edu/~fxg1/ewall.html (Penn State Weather Model Predictions)

Web Soil Survey - Beginning User

Hello From Home to Sea followers.

In this post, I wanted to share my beginning user experience of Web Soil Survey tool, hosted by the USDA. I have attached a few screen shots.

       1) Selected Area of Interest (AOI) - Haw River

       2) Selected Area of Interest (AOI) - Haw River, Forest Productivity - Loblolly Pine, includes soil                   data for the AOI.

Without further ado. At first glance upon initial navigation, this site can seem a bit daunting and busy. However, if you dive in deep, it really takes no time for the basic user to get a foundational grasp of how to the use the many tools.

This is only the beginning though. This site does require one to have a purpose when using it. As a fan of the ground beneath our feet, aka soil, every click of the mouse peaks my interest in wanting to dig deeper into depth of the soil in my area. As is said, the foot bone is connected to the leg bone. In that sense, I feel it important to have a solid understanding of the soil around our precious Haw River. This helps us connect the dots between the land and the river, e.g. sediment runoff, prime agricultural areas, etc..

In addition, there is quite a nifty app that one can download from the iPhone app store, SoilWeb. It is the handheld version of this site. I have used it while walking the trails adjacent to the Haw River, giving real time data based on your current location.

I highly encourage all followers to take the journey on the desktop and app version, providing feedback to the blog.

Thank you.

From Home to Sea