Youth-Based Citizen Science Monitoring: Case Studies from Three National Forests

Citizen science as a bottom‐up approach to address human–wildlife conflicts: From theories and methods to practical implications

“…The decision‐making of young people on biological conservation is greatly based on their formal school education (Grace & Ratcliffe, 2002), and it has been repeatedly pointed out that a new approach in scientific education is needed to prepare future generations to tackle global issues such as climate change (Hodson, 2003). The participatory approach of CS fosters scientific thinking (Trumbull, Bonney, Bascom, & Cabral, 2000) enhances scientific understanding, and in some cases even increases students' interest in pursuing careers in natural resource management (Pitt & Schlutz, 2018). Additionally, participation in CS projects can lead to value changes (Maund et al, 2020; Turrini et al, 2018) and willingness in changing behavior toward the environment among participants (Dean, Church, Loder, Fielding, & Wilson, 2018).…”

Strategic monitoring informs wilderness management and socioecological benefits

“…Other potential uses of a wilderness inventory include the ability to monitor and forecast the biological effects of changing climate and disturbance regimes, especially in parts of the country like Alaska that have extensive areas of both designated and de facto wilderness (Barrett & Gray, 2011). Sampling in these locations could be complemented by student and citizen science initiatives that monitor climate change impacts for the USFS "Chief's 10 Year Wilderness Challenge" (Pitt & Schultz, 2018). The NFI is no substitute for tactical monitoring of specific local processes (e.g., invasive plant expansion in a given wilderness), but NFI data can provide timely information about the frequency and extent of processes occurring at regional scales (Table 1).…”

How to work with children and animals: A guide for school‐based citizen science in wildlife research

“…For example, some study species and associated survey methods may be more appealing or feasible than others, and the types of projects best suited to younger students are likely to differ to those for adults. Concern about the degree to which the data will be reliable and publishable is another perceived barrier to the involvement of school students in citizen science, particularly for younger age-groups (Burgess et al 2017;Pitt and Schultz 2018;Trautmann et al 2012). While students of all ages are often excited to work with wildlife, they may quickly lose interest when faced with the reality that some methods of data collection are monotonous, uneventful or indirect, which may compromise the integrity of the research findings.…”

“…The more intensive school-scientist relationships usually involved internships or were supported by dedicated citizen science programs (e.g. Matthews et al 2014;Pitt and Schultz 2018) Several studies codeveloped the research questions with the school or involved the students in the data analysis and writing of the paper (Blackawton et al 2011;Saunders et al 2018). Other programs included teacher training and formal curriculum support to foster long-term partnerships (Cox et al 2012;Freiwald et al 2018;Frigerio et al 2018) or published 'teaching notes' to help guide implementation across multiple schools (Matthews et al 2014).…”

“…Involving schools in citizen science projects represents an opportunity to engage younger audiences in environmental research (Kobori et al 2016). The benefits of engaging school students as citizen scientists include improved scientific literacy, environmental awareness, leadership skills, and the potential to inspire new generations of environmentally aware and active citizens (Ballard et al 2017;Pitt and Schultz 2018;Wals et al 2014). Alongside the scientific outputs, school-based citizen science projects should also provide educational…”