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.
Now you see them, Now you don’t! What’s happening in Calgary Wetlands?
Call of the Wetland is a citizen science program developed to monitor amphibians as an important biodiversity indicator in the City of Calgary. Developed by the Miistakis Institute and partners, Call of the Wetland aims to better understand the health of wetlands within the City of Calgary and build a community of knowledgeable citizens to champion wetland protection and restoration.
Three years of data collected by volunteer citizen scientists will be used to determine presence or absence of amphibian species in Calgary wetlands. Occupancy modeling will be undertaken on the species data collected. The results will help inform the City of Calgary BiodiverCity Strategy, and will be shared with City planners.
We present two years of findings and share lessons learned based on the design and implementation of an urban citizen science program.
Speaker Bio: Nicole works with the Miistakis Insitute as a Project Coordinator on the Call of the Wetland citizen science project and the Calgary Captured wildlife monitoring project. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Water Resource Economics from the University of Arizona and a Master of Environmental Science and Management from the University of California Santa Barbara.