Conducting a Successful Citizen Monitoring Program on the Clearwater National Forest
Road Decommissioning on the Clearwater: In the winter of 1995-1996, right on schedule with predicted historical records, the Clearwater National Forest (ID) experienced a dramatic rain-on-snow event that caused extensive flooding and more than 900 landslides. Due to a legacy of logging and associated roading, some areas on the Clearwater had road densities as high as 40 miles per square mile. These roads were the cause of more than half of the 900 landslides in the region in ’95-’96, several of which literally carried area residents’ homes off the mountains.
The Clearwater National Forest (CNF) responded quickly, acquiring emergency federal funds from Congress to begin an extensive road decommissioning program with the help of the Nez Perce Tribe (NPT). To date, the agency, in partnership with the tribe, has removed more than 600 miles of unused, unsafe and ecologically harmful roads.
Road decommissioning on the CNF provides high-wage jobs for local contractors, whose work restores watershed integrity and reduces the likelihood and severity of future landslides. But not everyone understands either how road removal works, or why it is important. So the CNF conducted extensive outreach in the local communities to build understanding of and support for this form of watershed restoration. However, budget cutbacks in the Forest Service haven’t allowed the CNF or the NPT to conduct extensive monitoring on the decommissioned roads. In addition, there isn’t much peer-reviewed scientific research about the effects of road decommissioning on wildlife, vegetation or stream integrity.
Wildlands CPR recognized both the extraordinary nature of the CNF/NPT restoration program, and the importance of monitoring that work. In 2004 Wildlands CPR received a generous grant from the National Forest Foundation that enabled us to begin working with the CNF and NPT to expand their efforts by creating the first citizen monitoring program to focus on road removal as a key form of watershed restoration.
The overall goals of Wildlands CPR’s monitoring project are twofold: to collect much needed data about the short and long-term effects of road removal as a watershed restoration tool, and to increase local community understanding of, and support for, watershed restoration. During the first year of the program, Katherine Court, a University of Montana graduate student, developed and tested research methods for citizen scientists to collect data on road removal. We also contracted with wildlife biologist Sue Townsend to develop some of our wildlife protocols, which include using remotely-triggered cameras to photograph large fauna in action, and baited track plates to collect the footprints of smaller critters (see Road RIPorter 10:2). In addition, we developed protocols for vegetation samples to identify noxious weed problems. For stream integrity, we developed macro-invertebrate sampling techniques and adopted the Wolman Pebble count to measure stream sediment (see Road RIPorter 9:4).
I also presented to local fishing and conservation groups including the Three Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Clearwater Flycasters, and Friends of the Clearwater. While not all presentations were met with enthusiasm, and some with downright skepticism, I did have some success. Friends of the Clearwater, based out of Moscow, Idaho, gave us the support of their student intern, Adrienne Boland, who took over our monitoring site in the Moscow area. Adrienne recruited her own volunteers and took groups into the field.
The Clearwater Flycasters provided consistent volunteers from the Moscow and Troy areas — at last we had found a regular, dedicated group of volunteers. Cliff Swanson, a Clearwater Flycaster and return volunteer, understood the importance of participating in citizen science. “As a retired mathematics teacher it was exciting to see science and math used in a real world setting. It made me feel good to help with a project that will have an impact on future restoration practices.”
Over the course of the 2006 field season 60 volunteers contributed more than 400 hours of monitoring on the CNF — the most volunteer hours yet! This brought our grand total of volunteers to 125 contributing nearly 1000 hours of time. In addition to adult volunteers, we collected data with students from Hellgate High in Missoula, Montana, Orofino and Kamiah High Schools in Idaho, and groups and individuals from the University of Montana, University of Idaho, and Washington State University in Pullman, WA
In 2006, we engaged university students to help us with the data analysis. An undergraduate environmental studies class at the University of Montana, led by Dr. Vicki Watson, conducted the initial analysis of all of our 2006 monitoring data. The study design included three paired monitoring sites on open and decommissioned roads. The students found that bears are using decommissioned roads significantly more than open roads. While all our sites on decommissioned roads captured photos of bears, remotely triggered cameras on open roads found none. Our monitoring is the first study to show with statistical significance that road decommissioning is restoring bear habitat.
On the Palouse Ranger District, we had a different study design and were testing whether the distance from an open road affected wildlife use. We found six bears 1 mile from the open road, three bears 2/3 mile from the open road, and no bears 1/3 mile from the road. This is a very important finding as it appears that more bears use decommissioned roads as there is an increased level of security (i.e., further from an open road). A management implication may be that decommissioning several small road spurs is not as effective for protecting bears as decommissioning one longer road section.
We have been accepted to present our results at next year’s Ecological Society of America / Society for Ecological Restoration’s joint meeting in San Jose, CA. We have also been accepted for presentation at this year’s International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET) in Little Rock, AR this summer. In addition, we have plans to present this work to members of the communities surrounding the CNF.
— Anna Holden is an Environmental Studies graduate student at the University of Montana. She was raised in Logan, Utah, by passionate outdoor enthusiasts who showed her that the answer to most questions could be found in nature.
The Clearwater National Forest (CNF) responded quickly, acquiring emergency federal funds from Congress to begin an extensive road decommissioning program with the help of the Nez Perce Tribe (NPT). To date, the agency, in partnership with the tribe, has removed more than 600 miles of unused, unsafe and ecologically harmful roads.
Road decommissioning on the CNF provides high-wage jobs for local contractors, whose work restores watershed integrity and reduces the likelihood and severity of future landslides. But not everyone understands either how road removal works, or why it is important. So the CNF conducted extensive outreach in the local communities to build understanding of and support for this form of watershed restoration. However, budget cutbacks in the Forest Service haven’t allowed the CNF or the NPT to conduct extensive monitoring on the decommissioned roads. In addition, there isn’t much peer-reviewed scientific research about the effects of road decommissioning on wildlife, vegetation or stream integrity.
Wildlands CPR recognized both the extraordinary nature of the CNF/NPT restoration program, and the importance of monitoring that work. In 2004 Wildlands CPR received a generous grant from the National Forest Foundation that enabled us to begin working with the CNF and NPT to expand their efforts by creating the first citizen monitoring program to focus on road removal as a key form of watershed restoration.
What is Citizen Science?
Citizen science is simply the incorporation of volunteers into the planning, data collection, or analysis of a scientific project. In addition to collecting data, there are many benefits of citizen science, both to the organization in charge and the communities involved. Organizations or agencies can reduce their resource costs, educate non-scientists, and begin to build trust between agencies, conservation organizations and citizens. Citizen scientists gain an understanding of the project and issues surrounding it, giving them the opportunity to be an educational source for other citizens in their community. Over time, citizen science projects can lead to far greater community understanding of natural resource management issues.The overall goals of Wildlands CPR’s monitoring project are twofold: to collect much needed data about the short and long-term effects of road removal as a watershed restoration tool, and to increase local community understanding of, and support for, watershed restoration. During the first year of the program, Katherine Court, a University of Montana graduate student, developed and tested research methods for citizen scientists to collect data on road removal. We also contracted with wildlife biologist Sue Townsend to develop some of our wildlife protocols, which include using remotely-triggered cameras to photograph large fauna in action, and baited track plates to collect the footprints of smaller critters (see Road RIPorter 10:2). In addition, we developed protocols for vegetation samples to identify noxious weed problems. For stream integrity, we developed macro-invertebrate sampling techniques and adopted the Wolman Pebble count to measure stream sediment (see Road RIPorter 9:4).
Organizing Citizen Scientists
Once the protocols were completed and peer-reviewed, we began organizing local people to conduct the monitoring. We recruited individuals and groups of volunteers through meetings with local schools, conservation groups, and fishing organizations. I was hired last year to organize more citizen scientists for the project, specifically targeting the hard-to-recruit rural areas along Highway 12 in Idaho. Beginning in February of 2006, I taught high school classes in Orofino and Kamiah. In May, I took these students into the field and we conducted both wildlife and vegetative monitoring. The students were very enthusiastic and seemed happy to be doing something constructive and out of the classroom, especially when I tied the activities to their favorite local activities — hunting and fishing.I also presented to local fishing and conservation groups including the Three Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Clearwater Flycasters, and Friends of the Clearwater. While not all presentations were met with enthusiasm, and some with downright skepticism, I did have some success. Friends of the Clearwater, based out of Moscow, Idaho, gave us the support of their student intern, Adrienne Boland, who took over our monitoring site in the Moscow area. Adrienne recruited her own volunteers and took groups into the field.
The Clearwater Flycasters provided consistent volunteers from the Moscow and Troy areas — at last we had found a regular, dedicated group of volunteers. Cliff Swanson, a Clearwater Flycaster and return volunteer, understood the importance of participating in citizen science. “As a retired mathematics teacher it was exciting to see science and math used in a real world setting. It made me feel good to help with a project that will have an impact on future restoration practices.”
Over the course of the 2006 field season 60 volunteers contributed more than 400 hours of monitoring on the CNF — the most volunteer hours yet! This brought our grand total of volunteers to 125 contributing nearly 1000 hours of time. In addition to adult volunteers, we collected data with students from Hellgate High in Missoula, Montana, Orofino and Kamiah High Schools in Idaho, and groups and individuals from the University of Montana, University of Idaho, and Washington State University in Pullman, WA
Data Collection
During our first full monitoring season in 2005, citizen scientists successfully recorded tracks or photos of bear, deer, elk, moose, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and voles. They also sampled three streams and conducted vegetation samples on decommissioned roads. Katherine and Adam Switalski, Wildlands CPR’s Science Coordinator, presented these results and the project in general at the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET) in San Diego, CA. Their poster presentation was well-received and generated interest from peers in the field of road ecology.In 2006, we engaged university students to help us with the data analysis. An undergraduate environmental studies class at the University of Montana, led by Dr. Vicki Watson, conducted the initial analysis of all of our 2006 monitoring data. The study design included three paired monitoring sites on open and decommissioned roads. The students found that bears are using decommissioned roads significantly more than open roads. While all our sites on decommissioned roads captured photos of bears, remotely triggered cameras on open roads found none. Our monitoring is the first study to show with statistical significance that road decommissioning is restoring bear habitat.
On the Palouse Ranger District, we had a different study design and were testing whether the distance from an open road affected wildlife use. We found six bears 1 mile from the open road, three bears 2/3 mile from the open road, and no bears 1/3 mile from the road. This is a very important finding as it appears that more bears use decommissioned roads as there is an increased level of security (i.e., further from an open road). A management implication may be that decommissioning several small road spurs is not as effective for protecting bears as decommissioning one longer road section.
Next Steps
Over the last three years the program has adapted to increase its effectiveness. Due to the success of the classroom lessons and field day, Wildlands CPR has expanded our school-based efforts for 2007, hiring Mike Fiebig to work exclusively with schools in rural Idaho. In Missoula and Moscow, we have hired AmeriCorps volunteers to organize at farmers markets, volunteer fairs, and other events. We have added field sites to increase our sample size and the scientific strength of the study. We have also expanded our citizen monitoring to the Swan Valley (MT) and are seeking funding with the Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project to create another citizen monitoring program in Colorado.We have been accepted to present our results at next year’s Ecological Society of America / Society for Ecological Restoration’s joint meeting in San Jose, CA. We have also been accepted for presentation at this year’s International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET) in Little Rock, AR this summer. In addition, we have plans to present this work to members of the communities surrounding the CNF.
Conclusion
Collecting information on the benefits of road removal will help support continued road removal efforts undertaken by the Forest Service and Nez Perce Tribe. Moreover, it will also help build community support for this critical form of watershed restoration. As our project trains new citizen scientists and takes them into the field, many will likely be inspired to help protect and restore the Clearwater’s forested landscapes. My role as project leader has been rewarded by new friendships, joyful memories, and the knowledge that our efforts are making a difference. We expect to build upon our successes through the program, while rebuilding the ecological integrity of the Clearwater.— Anna Holden is an Environmental Studies graduate student at the University of Montana. She was raised in Logan, Utah, by passionate outdoor enthusiasts who showed her that the answer to most questions could be found in nature.