Abstract

Project PROTHO - Connecting Citizens With Science
Track: Conservation
Authors: Mark Musselman

Project PROTHO studies color-banded Prothonotary Warblers, a species in decline, breeding in a rare old-growth swamp setting. As a citizen-science project, volunteers helped band and record observations of these birds. We needed a way to present the volume of collected data so that anyone, from elementary school students to casual nature center visitors, could understand what had been learned. GIS maps showing breeding territories made it clear where the desirable habitat existed and how much territory a male could expect to claim and defend. Mapped observation data for individual birds showed that fledglings were moved from breeding territories to dry forests adjacent to the swamp. This previously unknown behavior influenced our bird conservation best management practices for landowners holding bottomland or adjacent upland forests. GIS not only connects citizens with varied skills and knowledge to complex scientific data, it enables them to become involved and affect positive change.