It’s Not Rocket Science, It’s Citizen Science!
by Julia K. Parrish
Marine debris survey of First Beach, WA. Photo: Hillary Burgess
The Spokane Audubon Society’s March 9 on-line meeting will feature the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST), a 22-year-old citizen science program operating from California to Alaska.
Julia K. Parrish, COASST executive director and Associate Dean of the College of the Environment at the University of Washington, will present information on the largest beached bird program in the world. Parrish has been honored as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Year of the Oceans Environmental Hero, and has received a Champions of Change award at the White House for her leadership in coastal citizen science.
“It’s Not Rocket Science, It’s Citizen Science!” is what Parrish calls her talk about how the COASST program provides participants a variety of opportunities to help collect high quality data relevant to a range of environmental issues impacting birds, including invasive species, pollution and development. At about 85,000 birds of more than 200 species found, COASST data have been used for science and resource management, and have empowered thousands of coastal residents to participate in citizen science.
