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Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things... Citizen Science
By: Dr. Jutta Burger, Senior Field Ecologist, IRC Citizen Science is a program in which Irvine Ranch Conservancy volunteers participate in a variety of resource management and conservation science projects. Citizen Scientists provide an invaluable service to the Conservancy by assisting with projects that would otherwise be unfeasible due to staffing and funding limitations. This volunteer program is an important way for the public to connect to nature and the land by learning about its natural history and contributing to the science and information required to manage it. Citizen Scientists participate in setting up field projects and collecting data on plant and animal populations and natural communities. They work alongside Conservancy resource managers and technical experts and share in their accomplishments. Among the rewards are that participants get to see parts of the land that are not regularly open to the public, they learn more about the ecology of the land from true experts, and they contribute to the excellent stewardship of these nationally important open spaces. Some volunteers even have the opportunity to become co-authors on scientific publications. Many other organizations have developed similar programs that are critical to providing the broader scientific community with information and experience to help manage land. One of the longest-running of these, the Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count, has given conservation scientists more than one hundred years of annual data for birds across the United States. Many of the Conservancy's citizen scientists come to us with either a background or a casual interest in science, though this is not essential. Anyone can volunteer who completes the same Natural History course offered as part of Conservancy Docent training program or has equivalent experience. The Natural History course is taught at several local community colleges throughout the year. Most Citizen Science projects take place during the week, so volunteers that have flexible schedules are particularly well-suited to participate. Previous experience in collecting data or doing any kind of a science project is not necessary, as long as participants adhere to protocols and understand the importance of consistency and accuracy in taking data. It also requires a commitment and dependability, since most projects involve multiple field visits over a period of time. Volunteers interested in contributing to one-time projects or on weekends are encouraged to sign up as Land Stewards instead. Current projects involving Citizen Scientists are: (1) Camera-based observation of wildlife: Volunteers maintain and collect data from remote cameras that have been placed throughout the land to record wildlife activity; (2) Oak Woodland restoration: Volunteers assist in planting oaks and in comparing the success of different techniques for restoration of this important and rare native habitat; (3) Trapdoor spider demography: Trap-door spider populations are being tracked to evaluate how they are recovering from recent fires. (The Irvine Ranch Natural Landmark is a globally important hotspot for trapdoor spider species diversity); (4) Cactus scrub restoration: Volunteers help to establish cactus scrub and compare restoration techniques for this globally rare habitat at key sites throughout the Natural Landmark. A future project will involve gathering information to track the success of "passive" (natural) restoration in areas with weeds and without weeds. More volunteers will allow the Conservancy to increase the number of projects and to connect interested members of the public to resource management and conservation and stewardship goals. 
Citizen Scientist works on Oak Woodland restoration project.
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