Reef Check California: Citizen Science Reef Monitoring Selena - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Reef Check California: Citizen Science Reef Monitoring Selena McMillan, PhD Jan Freiwald, PhD State Assembly Select Committee Hearing June 7 th 2017 Ph Phil G Garner

Citizen Science Citizen science engages non-scientists in authentic scientific research and monitoring Goals • Involve the public • Work over large spatial and temporal scales • Focus on informing natural resource management

Citizen Science Engagement Education Research

Reef Check Foundation 1998 - Reef Check Foundation established • Created to utilize citizen science • Study coral reefs worldwide • Inform and implement coral reef conservation through science

Reef Check California Established in 2006 Monitor rocky reefs & kelp forests using standardized protocols 1. Provide data to inform marine management and policy 2. Foster an educated constituency, supportive of science–based management and ocean stewardship

Reef Check California Marine protected area network • MPA baseline • MPA evaluation Pollution • Santa Barbara oil spill Fisheries management • Red abalone Emerging issues • Disease • Ecosystem change Climate Change • Implementing climate change monitoring in 2017

Reef Check California Training • Marine ecology • Oceanography • Fisheries management and MPAs • Intensive 4-day training – 2 days in classroom/pool – 2 days in open ocean • Volunteers are tested and certified – Annual re-certification

Reef Check California Training • Scientific method • Approach recognized by CDFW • Protocol comparable to academic research

Reef Check California Training Recreational Divers Agency Staff University Students Commercial Fisherman

Volunteer Participation 30 years of Educational background Over the last decade… 1.8% full-time work 4.0% >1000 volunteers 4-yr College participated in surveys 12.4% Masters by citizen • many more went PhD/MD/JD 46.9% through the training scientists 2-yr College = 8000 volunteer days 34.9% High School

Statewide Citizen Science Monitoring Program 11 years of data inside and outside of MPAs • 125 sites surveyed – 68 for 5 years or more • 56 within MPAs Annually • ~90 sites • ~250 trained volunteers/year

Statewide Citizen Science Monitoring Program • MPA baseline monitoring in all regions • Long-term MPA monitoring • Ecosystem change monitoring • Basic science

Changing Ocean Ecosystems 3 2.5 North Density (#/60 m2) North Central 2 Central 1.5 South 1 0.5 0 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Year David Horwich

Changing Ocean Ecosystems

Changing Ocean Ecosystems

Changing Ocean Ecosystems

http://data.reefcheck.us/

Acknowledgements Citizen Scientist Volunteers

Thank you! Selena McMillan smcmillan@reefcheck.org reefcheck.org data.reefcheck.org