Citizen science in ecology is growing rapidly, in part because it can help address otherwise intractable questions such as those that depend on data at large scales, from private lands, tied to human activities, or that require close observations by long-term residents. Despite its popularity, recent surveys of scientists have identified a number of barriers to the use of citizen science, including inconsistency in data quality, a limited awareness of citizen science that matches their needs, and difficulty figuring out how to start engaging in citizen science.

This workshop is will help participants new to citizen science overcome those barriers, and will help those already doing citizen science learn new approaches and techniques. Speakers and participants will share case studies, foundational resources and new concepts, and proven practices for pursuing effective research and meaningful public engagement. We will look at different public engagement models (from community-based research to crowdsourcing) and how they can be leveraged in relationship to goals for research in ecology and ecosystem studies. And we will engage attendees in workshopping the alignment between their goals for research and public engagement, and in helping to map and support the community of citizen science practitioners in ecology.

The workshop will include contributions from experts in doing ecology citizen science, including Jennifer Shirk (Citizen Science Association), Jake Weltzin (US Geological Survey), Mark Chandler (Earthwatch), and Abe Miller-Rushing (National Park Service). It will also include ample space for participants to raise questions and share solutions.