[PCA] WEB: Invaders Citizen Science Program

[Olivia Kwong]

From: Damon Waitt <dwaitt at wildflower.org>

Speaking of Citizen Science Programs, here is more information about the 
Invaders Citizen Science program discussed at the last PCA meeting:

The Invaders Citizen Science Program was developed by a consortium of Botanic 
Gardens, Natural History Museums, Zoos, and Aquaria in partnership with Sea 
Studios Foundation, National  Geographic and Vulcan Productions and launched on 
April 20 when National Geographic's Strange Days on Planet Earth TV series 
premiered its opening episode about invaders on PBS.

The Invaders Program is a campaign whereby volunteer "citizen scientists" are 
trained using a specially developed Invasive Species Early Detection and 
Reporting Kit. With this kit, volunteers can help detect invaders' arrival and 
dispersal in their own local areas. They deliver that information into a 
national database and to local regulatory agencies who can do something about 
it.  The premise is simple.  The more trained eyes watching for invasives, the 
better our chances of lessening or avoiding damage to our native landscape. The 
kit has been field tested by several of the Invaders consortium partners which 
include Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower, Missouri 
Botanical Garden, New England Aquarium, North Carolina Museum of Natural 
Sciences, and Woodland Park Zoo.

See http://www.texasinvasives.org/Citizen_Science/citizen.html and 
http://www.desertmuseum.org/invaders/ for program specifics at the Lady Bird 
Johnson Wildflower Center and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

We are seeking to expand the consortium in 2006 to include 4-6 new partners who 
are interested in launching citizen-science based early detection and reporting 
programs at their intitutions. Please contact me if you are interested in 
participating or would like more information.

Best regards,

Damon

Damon E. Waitt, Ph.D.
Senior Botanist
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
4801 La Crosse Ave. Austin, Texas 78739-1702
--------------------------------------------
email: dwaitt at wildflower.org
web: http://www.wildflower.org
phone: 512.292.4200
fax: 512.292.4627