As momentum builds for dam removal throughout the United States, monitoring will be critical for both scientists and managers to assess and respond to the geophysical and biological impacts of these disturbance-causing, yet potentially regenerative, ecological events. Citizen science is one approach that can overcome insufficient monitoring while sustaining public engagement and connecting communities with both science and their local environment.

A selection of products is shared below, followed by project updates.

Manual for planning citizen science projects

This manual (accompanied by a Quick Guide and extensive reference list) provides guidance and recommendations for citizen science project planning. While the focus is on dam removal and watershed restoration, much of this material could be useful for a wide range of contexts and problem areas related to conservation and natural resource management.

Community and Citizen Science on the Elwha

This report dives into the past, present and potential future of CCS in the Elwha River Watershed, with particular focus on the years before and after the removal of the Elwha dams. The wide range of CCS activities within the Elwha Watershed and the themes, challenges, and solutions of these endeavors are analyzed.

Human Activities Monitoring and CCS

This guide supports development of volunteer-based human activities monitoring projects in watersheds and other land stewardship contexts. Watershed restoration to the scale of dam removal can become quite complicated with concerns for recreational use, respecting and embracing Indigenous cultural practices, and conservation. The potential role of volunteers is discussed in depth, and human activities questions are addressed through examples of three case studies of community science in action.

Journal Article: Lessons Learned from CCS Monitoring on the Elwha

This article supplements the Elwha report and focuses on the lessons learned from CCS monitoring on the Elwha River restoration project. The article highlights opportunities to expand and increase participant and tribal engagement.

Journal Article: Learning and Distributed Expertise in Community Based Science

This study explores the impacts of dam removal in the Caddisfly Creek watershed and analyzes the effects of community based science through interviews, ethnographic observations, and project artifacts. The local knowledge found distributed within communities plays a large role in influencing the outcome of community-based science. The effects of power relations and the roles of individuals at different levels of coordination work are explored, and areas of improvement are highlighted.

Journal Article: “Seeing power” between young people and conservation professionals in the design of a community-based watershed monitoring initiative

Investigation and analysis of a workshop series with Eco Campus Network highlighted the significance of understanding how to notice for and attend to power asymmetries can disrupt epistemic hierarchies that tend to favor the “experts” rather than other “non-experts” groups who can play a large role in community science efforts.

Journal Article: Social learning in conservation and natural resource management: taking a sociocultural perspective

This paper investigates the value and application of sociocultural learning theories on participatory approaches in conservation and natural resource management. Increased opportunities for social learning between all parties involved contributes to greater resilience of social-ecological systems in the face of ongoing environmental change.