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Additional PaCS events at NACCB

  • 1.  Additional PaCS events at NACCB

    Posted 07-17-2022 11:46
    Hi everyone,

    Apologies for not including these in the previous posting. The events are back to back in the same room.

    Symposium: Integrations Within and Between Citizen Science Efforts and Spatial Decision Support Systems for Conservation

    Wed, July 20 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
    Silver Baron E

    Session Organizer:
    John Gallo, Conservation Biology Institute

    Session Abstract:
    Citizen science (i.e. public participation in scientific data gathering and research) provides an ideal context to integrate adaptive management with locally-based stewardship, and thereby promote socio-ecological resilience. Integrating dynamic spatial ecology and habitat restoration with citizen science can not only result in more equitable decision-making but also deep public engagement. This symposium presents and discusses a new approach for better combining the vast data and social potential of citizen science (aka community science) with decision science to help decision-makers embedded within a community to prioritize project actions and locations. This approach uses an analytic framework and graphical user interface to combine the benefits of field observations and GIS/remote sensing to prioritize locations. We focused on the question of where restoration should be prioritized on US Forest Service land within the Thomas and Whittier fire scars in southern California. We present several facets of the research, including 1) how well the citizen scientists did at collecting data on trails also surveyed by professionals, along with guidelines from the literature and new lessons learned, 2) the spatial decision support system (SDSS) that can be replicated anywhere, and can tackle additional conservation problems aside from where to restore, 3) the integration of several data sources and models that are often standalone, all into the spatial decision support system. (This includes applying and combining the Post-fire Restoration Prioritization (PReP) tool, the WHIPPET weed eradication tool and an Environmental Evaluation Modeling System (EEMS) for erosion. These are all in a unified graphical user interface where the user can explore the dozens of criteria from these intermediate models, map them, and also see how they score for any given location.) The above 45 minutes is concluded by a 15 minute facilitated audience discussion, then we transition to the 30 minute Organized Network Session.

    Participatory and Citizen Science Networking Session

     Wed, July 20 at 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM
     Silver Baron E

    This will be an organized networking session put on by the Participatory and Citizen Science Working Group (PaCS). Begun in 2016, PaCS facilitates citizen science research and practice that aids the Society for Conservation Biology in achieving its mission of preserving the Earth's biodiversity.  We welcome all SCB members who are interested in involving members of the public in conservation research. We take a broad view of citizen science, also commonly referred to as participatory or community science, to include research involving the general public in conservation science. We welcome all SCB members who are interested in the application of participatory and citizen science to biodiversity conservation to join this working group.

    In this informal session, we'll start with brief welcome form PaCS President John Cigliano, who will be joining virtually due to working a concurrent PaCS weeklong event. Then we'll have brief introductions of everyone in the room for 5 minutes maximum, then network for 20 minutes, and close with any announcements like where the happy hour will be! We may be able to have the technology for you to have a face to face (remote) converstain with Dr. Cigliano for some of this session. If you are interested in possibly joining PaCS, or just want to meet other like-minded folks, please come on by!"

    ​​

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    John Cigliano
    Cedar Crest College
    Schoodic Institute
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