Citizen Science for CA Naturalists

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Welcome to our ongoing effort to catalog citizen science and other public participation in scientific research (PPSR) projects for UC California Naturalists and other citizen scientists. We invite you to browse the listed projects or enter key words (like birds, youth, invasive, coast, Alameda, etc.) in the search box above to find projects in your area. It's a great way to stay involved and keep developing your skills as a natural scientist!

A vast majority of the information in the database was gathered from project websites and may be out of date. We encourage you to contact projects directly to get involved and learn about most recent opportunities. If you work with a listed project and would like to add to, update, or correct the information we have, please email cghdixon@ucdavis.edu. Also, please consider filling out the "PPSR perspectives" survey. Click here to access the survey, which will help guide this project in the coming year.

If you know of a project not on our list, please go to the "tell us about a project" link on the left so we can list the project here. Thanks for your help!

Special thanks goes to the National Science Foundation Informal Science Education program and the Stephen J. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation for supporting this database of projects.

Project Name	Weed Watchers - Marin Municipal Water District
Organization Name	Marin Municipal Water District
Project Website	http://marinwater.org/controller?action=menuclick&id=585
Organization Website	http://marinwater.org
Partners	Bay Area Early Detection Network (BAEDN)
Contact Name	Andrea Williams
Contact Email	volunteerprogram@marinwater.org
Contact Phone	(415) 945-1184
Other Contact Information	Information and Application Sheets are available to download on the website
Project Purpose (taken from project materials)	Survey trails and roadsides for new weed populations, discovering invasive plants before they become well established. Data collected from vegetation monitoring informs the resource management and conservation activities on the watershed.
Participant Activities	Hike Mt. Tamalpais and identify both invasive and rare plant species and to take location data on paper maps or using GPS units. Volunteers go out as often as they like on the trails of Mt. Tam, either singly, in pairs or on monthly guided hikes. Volunteers are asked to: Assist watershed staff in trail and roadside invasive plant monitoring and mapping. Conduct at least 3 hours of surveys on MMWD trails monthly over a period of six months. Follow safety guidelines including responsible use of personal protective gear including a hat, sunblock and sturdy footwear. Follow instructions from all watershed staff, understand and respect all watershed regulations and policies. Proudly wear the MMWD or Weed Watcher volunteer uniform while surveying.
Data Entry	Website, Data Sheets, Other
Other Participant Activities	Volunteers can join restoration, public education, and other activities hosted by MMWD.
System Studied	Invasive Species
Geographic Scope	Local
Region	Marin
Location	Trails around Mt. Tam
Location - Map	801 Panoramic Highway Mill Valley, CA 94941
Time Commitment	Monthly
Volunteer Qualifications	Volunteers are asked to submit an application, complete a training class and commit to hiking and conducting a survey at least once per month over six months.
Volunteer Training	A four-hour workshop on invasive plant identification and data collection is required.
How will the findings be used?	Data collected from vegetation monitoring informs the resource management and conservation activities on the watershed.

If you work with this project and would like to add to or update the information below, please email cghdixon@ucdavis.edu.

If you know of a project not on our list, please go to the "tell us about a project" link on the left so we can list the project here. Thanks for your help!

This database is focused on projects in California focused on the environment. For opportunities outside California, as well as national projects that don't have a California-specific components, check http://www.birds.cornell.edu/citscitoolkit/projects.