Challenges Associated with Citizen Science Engagement in Amphibian Monitoring in the Rocky Mountains

Amphibians are declining globally and many declines are discovered too late for effective conservation measures because monitoring of amphibians is notoriously difficult and rarely attempted at large spatial scales. In the... [ view full abstract ]

Amphibians are declining globally and many declines are discovered too late for effective conservation measures because monitoring of amphibians is notoriously difficult and rarely attempted at large spatial scales. In the Rocky Mountain region, monitoring is further complicated by the remoteness of breeding sites and the difficulty of the terrain in the survey area. The Rocky Mountain Amphibian Project is a program that assigns survey catchments, or a set of streams, ponds and wet meadows within a predefined area, to citizen scientists in order to assist the U.S. Forest Service with monitoring these vast and remote areas for amphibian breeding. In this program, we ask our citizen scientists to collect rigorous, standardized data that is used in high-profile species trend analyses, is compatible with regional and national amphibian datasets and meets the Forest Service’s needs for understanding amphibian habitat and tracking population trends.

As part of this program, citizen scientists select which predefined catchment they want to “adopt,” attend a training (in-person or online), receive materials (dip nets, GPS units, gloves, maps, datasheets, etc.) and conduct their surveys twice during the breeding season. Although amphibian breeding data is the primary objective, we also are able to collect information about habitat for multiple amphibian species, monitor how habitat changes over time, and perhaps more importantly educate and interest a large collection of the public about the needs of and threats to amphibians, as well as their importance as indicators of ecosystem health.

This presentation will outline the challenges associated with requesting citizen scientists to collect high-quality standardized data in remote areas, helping the scientific community to incorporate data collected by citizen scientists into high-profile analyses, and recruiting and retaining citizen science volunteers.