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Citizen scientists monitor water quality on the coast of Rio Grande de Manati
Citizen scientists monitor water quality on the coast of Rio Grande de Manati as part of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico's Coastal and River System Management Project. Volunteers collected and analyzed beach sediment and measured salinity and seawater density.
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In Puerto Rico only 8 percent of the land is conserved. The Trust's mission is to conserve 33 percent by 2023, but they cannot achieve this goal working alone so the Trust relies on a cadre of volunteers, nurtured since 2007, when the Trust received their first National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for citizen science projects. More than 2,000 people participated during the life of that two-year grant, some multiple times.
Current citizen science projects stem from a 2012 NSF grant (DRL 1223882) and all are focused on the Rio Grande de ManatÃ, a river that twists around the north central part of Puerto Rico. The ecological-themed projects (monitoring insect populations, comparing bat colonies in a shopping mall and in a natural cave, and exploring the cultural and historical use of natural resources through an archaeological dig) take a faceted approach to research: Citizens build on their personal experiences by learning about scientific methods and their world and professional scientists gain data and insights -- often from their volunteers -- in their field. All the while, the Trust evaluates how the skills, knowledge and behavior of participants changes.
"What's really cutting-edge about this project is they are looking at citizen science in terms of a participation ladder," said Ellen McCallie, a program director in NSF's Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings. The project structure supports citizens as they climb higher on the ladder -- starting as people with a casual interest in science--to the top, where citizens are dedicated scientific leaders."
You can read more about the Trust's citizen science projects in the NSF Discovery story Science by, of and for the people. Or visit the Trust's website (all in Spanish) to learn more about each specific project Here. (Date of Image: 2013-2014)
Credit: The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico
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