In 2014, the Miistakis Institute hosted a Citizen Science Conference, exploring this diverse field with sessions on program design, evaluation, policy implications, technology and applications in parks and protected areas. This links to the website that chronicled that event.
Retrofitting New Technology into an Existing Long-term Citizen Science Program: field test of the “Birdbox App”
“Bluebird trails” are networks of bird nest boxes erected along fence lines to provide nesting habitat for native bluebirds and other cavity nesting species. The trails are maintained and monitored by volunteers who collect data on nest box use and nesting success.
Bluebird trail monitors have been active within Alberta for more than 30 years making this one of the longest continuous citizen science projects in the province. Data are typically collected on paper data collection sheets and then submitted to Area Leaders who must transcribe and summarize the data. Transcription into spreadsheets is a time-consuming activity that can result in volunteer fatigue among the Area Leaders.
Moreover, the geospatial data associated with the nest boxes is under-utilized. Using a spreadsheet provided by one of the Area Leaders, we customize Esri’s Collector Application to streamline the data collection and transcription process. We then recruited citizen scientists from two bluebird trail organizations (Calgary Area Nest-box Monitors and Ellis Bird Farm Ltd.) to field test the efficacy of the “Birdbox App”. The App was not found to save time in field data collection.
The technology itself was an issue in the field – technical issues, difficulties reading the screen in bright sunlight, and a diminished outdoor experience were cited as drawbacks. The main advantages of the App appear to be reduced workload for the Area Leaders and the resulting geospatially referenced nest box data which allows for more in-depth analyses of the factors that may be influencing nest box use and nesting success.
Speaker Bio: Dorothy Hill is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Mount Royal University in Calgary. Her expertise is the conservation and ecology of grassland birds and she has written and/or reviewed several species status reports for the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, Alberta Environment and Parks, Alberta Conservation Association, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Dorothy’s interest in citizen science as a conservation and education tool was sparked by her attendance at a workshop on Public Participation in Scientific Research organized and hosted by the Miistakis Institute.