Montana NSF-funded team investigates citizen science opportunities during Lubrecht Experimental Forest visit

On a beautiful fall day in September, a team of researchers, students and outreach professionals from several Montana colleges and universities gathered at the University of Montana’s Lubrecht Experimental Forest near Greenough, Mont. to view prescribed fire experimental plots while also considering how citizens and communities can contribute to statewide research.

The team– called “SMART FIRES” – is funded by the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR program to help improve understanding of prescribed fire dynamics and the impact of prescribed fire on Montana’s communities and public lands. Outcomes of the research will enable managers of prescribed fires to develop and refine strategies for deploying prescribed fires effectively to mitigate wildfire risk, a benefit that will extend to local and federal agencies tasked with land management and wildfire mitigation across the West.

In order to broaden the impact of the research to all Montanans, the project’s Education and Outreach team is developing a citizen science network and, ultimately, a statewide project that will involve Montanans in collecting data and observations pertinent to the research questions.

At the annual “All Hands meeting” on Sept. 17, the team visited several land plots at Lubrecht that had received various control and experimental prescribed burn treatments. There, the outreach team tested several different air quality monitoring and environmental measurement devices while also testing a new geofenced data request through GLOBE Observer, a citizen science app supported by NASA. Through GLOBE Observer, team members collected observations of land cover and tree height as well as clouds, an environmental monitoring protocol that also prompts users to observe sky color and visibility, which could be indications of air quality and smoke.

The SMART FIRES project has just entered Year 2 of its five-year cycle and will continue developing strategies for involving citizens and communities in the impacts of the research. For more information, visit http://mtnsfepscor.org or email Suzi Taylor: taylor@montana.edu.

The MSU Library has partnered with Montana NSF EPSCoR to obtain Celestial (Astronomy) Binoculars as part of its citizen science equipment library. These types of binoculars are great for astronomy beginners and those looking for portable equipment. (For serious star gazers and those wanting to view galaxies, these aren’t for you!) The dual lenses also offer relief for individuals who wear glasses. The binoculars are available at the Library Service Desk, come with a tripod, are available on a first come first serve basis, and check out for one week. Anyone in Montana may check out items from the MSU Library; you don't have to be an MSU student or staff member. 

To learn more, here are two good articles on the topic: 

• Astronomy with Binoculars
• The Best Astronomy Binoculars for Stargazing



To find citizen science projects related to astronomy, visit SciStarter.org and search “astronomy”  

Montana STEM Summer Institute

SMRC staff, Dr. Jeannie Chipps, Julia Wente, and Lane Holman presented at last month's STEM Summer Institute (SSI) Conference at Montana State University. They led a workshop following this summer's SMRC's Geospatial Skill Camps for Rural Montana Youth and gave examples on how we can integrate citizen science into classroom field trips and map collected data using tools like ArcGIS and NatGeo MapMaker.

Check out the workshop resources here and keep an eye our for future presentations!

2024 Conference for Advancing the Participatory Sciences

We were so excited to attend the 2024 conference of the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences (previously known as the Citizen Science Association) this summer. The multi-day virtual conference included interactive workshops, keynote speakers, and lots of posters, and discussions. Below are just a few of the highlights and links you may enjoy.

• We were particularly inspired by the opening keynote by Maui Hudson (Whakatōhea), an Associate Professor and Director of Te Kotahi Research Institute at the University of Waikato. His research interests include engaging indigenous communities in equitable access to scientific research, and Maori genomics, innovation, and ethics. Hudson coauthored the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance in open data and open science, and spoke on how to equitably share access to and control over data gathered from participatory science projects.
• After much deliberation and hard work, this organization changed their name from the Citizen Science Association to the Association for Advancing Participatory Science last year. Read more on their decision why (and get some interesting resources on inclusive language and practice related to citizen science here.)
• And of course, our all-time favorite, SciStarter, had a huge presence at the conference, with lots of information about their badging program and other amazing projects.

Learn more about AAPS at participatorysciences.org/.

Glacier National Park Hawk Watch Citizen Science Program

Come join park biologists and learn how to identify and count migrating raptors. Educators from Montana Wild Wings Recovery Center will also be on site with live raptors from 12 pm - 2 pm to provide close-up looks at some of the raptor species that migrate past Mount Brown. Biologists, park staff, and volunteers will be on hand to answer questions about the integral role of raptors in our ecosystems, the risks they face, and why Glacier has started the Mount Brown Hawk Watch Program.

• Date: Saturday October 5th, 2024
• Time: 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. near Lake McDonald Lodge
• Location: The event will begin at the Golden Eagle interpretive sign near Jammer Joe’s parking lot.
• Requirements: Participants should bring binoculars and prepare to count Golden Eagles on their annual migration south past Mount Brown. Attendees need not stay for the whole time and registration is not required.
• Volunteers can also hike to an observation point just below Mount Brown Lookout. People interested in hiking up Mount Brown should call or e-mail the Glacier Citizen Science Office for hike times and additional details or visit the Hawk Watch Citizen Science program.