Community Science – An Evolution of Data Collection

     Community science (or C*Sci) is exciting, valuable, and widely used by scientific communities. Formerly known as ‘citizen science’, community science is a way of making observations and collecting data on the natural world by those who are not scientists by profession. Those who participate may do so for many different reasons. Common motivations include a love of nature and science, wanting to contribute to scientific knowledge, using the process as a hobby, and meeting people to build community. 

     Possibly the most familiar forms of community science are bird counts, such as Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count or the Great Backyard Bird Count. Others include gathering data on garbage during beach cleanups and taking part in BioBlitzes. Now, the opportunities are as diverse as identifying organisms on trail cams in Panama to transcribing natural history notebooks to identifying galaxy shapes. 

     Previously, community science was looked upon with a bit of hesitancy by the scientific community because participants often lacked training and results could not be verified. However, in the last two decades, science has become increasingly community-based; many have recognized the resource limitations of traditional data collection. Many scientists now encourage community data collection by training participants in accurate and precise procedures so that the data is truly useful. 

     Community science participants generally meet their personal goals while contributing important information to the scientific field (and often have a lot of fun at the same time). In addition, by reaching out to the communities where data is being collected, science as a whole becomes less exclusive, more diverse and inclusive, and hopefully more equitable in communities being served and studied. Community science, when done well, is a win-win for all.

     One of the most appealing aspects of community science is the variety of ways participants can be involved. From individuals and families to formal and informal learning settings, there are projects available for everyone! For example, students in biology courses at Northwestern Connecticut Community College, take part in a wide variety of community science projects as part of their coursework. Known in higher education as course based undergraduate research projects, or CURES, they really are a form of community science. To name just two examples, in general biology, they are     researching previously unknown strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In ecology, they take part in decades-long studies of the changing composition of regional forests and the health of local rivers. Students in all of these projects contribute their data to practicing scientists, who are then able to use the students’ data to add to scientific knowledge as a whole.

     Are you or your family interested in getting involved with a community science project in your area or online? Get outdoors and contribute through iNaturalist by photographing organisms and sharing with the community (requires an app on your phone). A great way to contribute from the comfort of your home is through Zooniverse (www.zooniverse.org), a collection of 50 different community science projects. With spring only a few months away, a project perfect for families is NestWatch (www.nestwatch.org) to help track the reproductive success of a variety of bird species. 

     Feel free to reach out to the District if you would like other ideas!

     ~Tara Jo Holmberg, NWCD Board Member and Professor of Environmental Science and Biology, Northwestern Connecticut Community College

What is Soil Health and Why Should We Care?

     Life depends on soil and water. For centuries, some human civilizations destroyed these life-supporting resources. 

     Soils differ with climate and topography, but similarities exist:

• Soil particles vary in size; particles form aggregates with pore spaces that allow movement of air and water, and root penetration, through and between the aggregates.
• Soil microbiomes comprise living microorganisms and organic matter/humus.
• Billions of microorganisms live in the soil. 
• Decomposed organic matter binds the soil promoting steady capture and release of water and nutrients. 
• Soil life and organic matter sequester vast amounts of carbon, keeping it from the atmosphere.

     Undisturbed, in grasslands or forests, soils can remain healthy. When vegetation is removed and soil is left bare, or plows and garden tillers churn the soil, the aggregates and microbiome are damaged. Eventually, soil breaks down causing irreversible damage: erosion and compaction, and loss of carbon into the air. Globally, whole civilizations declined and sometimes disappeared after their soils were destroyed.

• Repair/protect damaged soils with these practices:
• Minimize or avoid tilling. 
• Use broadforks to aerate the soil without turning it over. 
• Grow green living mulches – aka cover crops; or add compost, chopped leaves, grass clippings, straw etc. to the surface.
• Avoid or minimize use of fertilizers and pesticides.
• Avoid planting up and down hills. Instead opt for “on-contour” beds.
• “On-contour” swales between beds capture and slow water runoff from hills.
• Return garden waste – leaves, chopped woody material, kitchen waste, to the compost pile and then the garden.

~Cynthia Rabinowitz, NWCD Executive Director

     We’ve all heard the mantra “location, location, location” — from a bird’s perspective, that perfect spot could well be a wetland. Swamps, marshes, and other types of wetland provide essential habitat for many hundreds of bird species, at least for a part of the year. Some bird species’ very existence depends on wetlands; without them, they would become extinct. Wood ducks, for instance, are dependent on forested wetlands.

     What’s so wonderful about a wetland for birds? For one thing, wetlands serve as sources of drinking water and food for many birds. Just think about all the edibles — fish, amphibians, snakes, insects, and aquatic plants — that abound in a marsh or swamp. A great blue heron might spear a fish with its sharply pointed beak. A green heron might catch a frog. Mallards might munch on plant stems and leaves, insects, tadpoles, or small fish. Tree swallows can scoop up hordes of mosquitoes and other flying insects that swarm above a wetland. 

     Wetland vegetation can shelter birds from predators. One bird that takes advantage of this is the American bittern, whose vertically striped breast blends in perfectly with reeds and marsh grasses. Wetland vegetation also can protect birds from wind, precipitation, and cold weather.

     The food, water, and shelter wetlands afford make them very desirable breeding grounds. Up to one-half of North American bird species, including ducks, geese, woodpeckers, hawks, wading birds, and some songbirds, nest or feed in wetlands, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Coastal and inland wetlands provide resting, feeding, breeding, or nesting grounds for millions of migratory waterfowl. 

     Among the bird species inhabiting Connecticut’s inland wetlands are black duck, wood duck, mallard, green-winged teal, Canada goose, green heron, great blue heron, Ieast bittern, American bittern, Virginia rail, sora, spotted sandpiper, marsh wren, red-winged blackbird, tree swallow, Acadian flycatcher, willow flycatcher, Eastern kingbird, warbling vireo, swamp sparrow, and woodcock.

     Birds such as clapper rail, black duck, blue-winged teal, willet, and seaside sparrow nest in our coastal salt marshes. Other birds such as marsh wren, pied-billed grebe, herons, glossy ibis, and egrets also feed and nest in Connecticut’s coastal wetlands. 

 ~Diane Edwards, Litchfield Hills Audubon Society (https://lhasct.org/index.html)

Resources to learn more about birds:

• To connect with other birders in the Northwest Hills: The Litchfield Hills Audubon Society or check out the Sharon Audubon Center or the Bent of the River Audubon Center in Southbury
• To look for native friendly plants for your backyard: Audubon’s Native Plants for Birds Database
• For more tips on making your yard bird friendly: Audubon’s How to Make Your Yard Bird-Friendly
• To learn more about the threats to birds: the American Bird Conservancy
• Creating Saltmarsh Sparrow Nesting Habitat at Great Meadows Marsh in Stratford
• Wetlands are the Answer for Better Birding Habitat (Audubon Great Lakes)

     Inland Wetlands (IW) provide important functions and values (F&V), also known as ecosystem services, that are often taken for granted:

• IW clean water through infiltration into the ground where roots, soil particles, and soil microorganisms remove pollutants and nutrients from the water. Most of Connecticut’s drinking water comes from surface water which is improved by filtration over a wide landscape that includes trees and wetlands. 
• Infiltration and spreading water over wider areas in wetlands reduces downstream flooding. The infiltration occurring in wetlands also helps to recharge groundwater supplies which many people rely on for drinking water.  
• IW retain some of the sediment that is carried in stormwater runoff, helping to protect the larger downstream watercourses and coastline of Connecticut.
• IW provide habitat for plants and animals, some of which rely exclusively on special aquatic or hydric environments. Many organisms need these systems for sources of water, food, and lifecycle fulfilment.
• Where wetlands lie along streams, rivers, or lakes, they protect the shorelines of these watercourses reducing erosion and destabilization.
• Many wetlands are destinations for healthy recreational activities and bring people into nature to observe, hike, fish, etc. These activities are beneficial to people’s health and well-being. 

~Cynthia Rabinowitz, NWCD Executive Director

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     2022 is the 50th anniversary of the enactment of Connecticut’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Act! All year long, our partners will have special events to celebrate this important milestone. Our partners include: Connecticut Association of Wetland Scientists, our four sister Connecticut Conservation Districts, the Water Planning Council and their subgroups, Rivers Alliance of CT, CT DEEP and other state agencies, and many more! 

     Follow our social media for more information. And look out for these upcoming presentations held by the Education and Outreach Subgroup of the Water Planning Council.