Citizen scientists sought for wildlife monitoring in Montana

Great Falls Tribune:  “The Montana Wilderness Association is looking for backcountry citizen scientists to help collect data on wolverines and other wildlife on the east side of the Continental Divide.

“Volunteers are needed to help with wildlife monitoring efforts by adopting one or more routes within the study area and surveying them throughout the winter.

“In past years, MWA, in partnership with Winter Wildlands Alliance, Wild Things Unlimited, Defenders of Wildlife and the Helena National Forest, has identified several wolverines, as well as lynx, grizzly bears and other forest carnivores west of the Continental Divide.

“However, little is known about wildlife presence or activity on the east side of the Divide near Nevada Mountain.

“Volunteers need to be backcountry-savvy and prepared to work and travel in a remote winter environment. Proper equipment (skis or snowshoes) is required.”

via Citizen scientists sought for wildlife monitoring.

Citizen Naturalist Field Work Opportunities

Citizen Naturalists

be006e79-7518-451d-b25d-393d8641a2a4A reader recently said they liked the opportunities appearing in this blog.  There are opportunities to sign petitions, state opinions, give moral and financial support, and make suggestions.  There are many many more.  In most cities and towns you will find groups to join that regularly make efforts to study natural subjects.  Below are more of the opportunities to help collect information needed to understand and protect wild plants and animals.  Wikipedia, Scientific American, and the National Wildlife Federation list others.  I haven’t investigated the opportunities enough to make recommendations. If you have personal experience, please add a comment.  Thank you.

Citizen Naturalist Projects Table

Others

Oceans 2 Earth–Opportunities worldwide

Opportunities Presented on this Blog

Winter Finch Forecast: Help Monitor Wild Bird Health

GR:  Here’s another great citizen naturalist opportunity.  Birds, like butterflies, are excellent indicators of ecosystem health. Join the Cornell Lab of Ornithology FeederWatch project beginning November 8, 2014, and make a contribution.

The following by Susan B. Whiting of the Vineyard Gazette

Every fall Ron Pittaway who is the Field Ornithologist for Ontario, Canada makes a winter finch forecast. One of the Vineyard birders always reminds me of same, this year it was Bob Shriber. Ron Pittaway’s forecast is based primarily on tree seed crop availability of spruces, birches and mountain-ashes. The general forecast predicts there will be a “mixed bag” of finch movements. For example purple finch and common redpolls will be seen on-Island as their foods of choice are less plentiful up north where these finches breed. The same is true of red crossbills. Ron Pittaway notes that although there are good spruce cone crops for the pine siskins, there will probably be some movement of these delicate finches into our area. So make sure that your feeders have not only sunflower seeds for the purple finches, but niger seed for the redpolls and siskins. Enjoy these finches they will probably be with us between now and April.

Source: vineyardgazette.com

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