ERIC Number: EJ931157
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Jun
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0006-3568
EISSN: N/A
Creating a Successful Citizen Science Model to Detect and Report Invasive Species
Gallo, Travis; Waitt, Damon
BioScience, v61 n6 p459-465 Jun 2011
The Invaders of Texas program is a successful citizen science program in which volunteers survey and monitor invasive plants throughout Texas. Invasive plants are being introduced at alarming rates, and our limited knowledge about their distribution is a major cause for concern. The Invaders of Texas program trains citizen scientists to detect the arrival and dispersal of invasive plants in their local areas and to report them into an online, statewide mapping database. In order to test the value of citizen scientists' data, we compared Invaders of Texas citizen scientists' observations of "Arundo donax" (giant reed) with previously recorded "A. donax" observations in Texas and found an increase in the reed's overall distribution. A comparison with observations from the Invasive Plant Atlas of New England, a similar citizen science program, confirmed that, given proper training, citizen scientists are able to detect and report invasive plants in their local areas, and the data they collect can be used by professional scientists.
Descriptors: Science Programs, Scientists, Science Education, Science Teachers, Data, Plants (Botany), Program Effectiveness, Public Relations, Comparative Analysis, Cartography, Databases, Data Collection, Identification, Electronic Learning
American Institute of Biological Sciences. 1444 I Street NW Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: 202-628-1500; Fax: 202-628-1509; e-mail: bioscience@aibs.org; Web site: http://www.aibs.org/bioscience
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A