Climbers and Ecologists Site

[Jim]

I came across this in one of my professional associations - worth taking a look if you have such interests.

 

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Conservation Biology Community Letter

I would like to make the conservation biology community aware of a new resource for citizen-science support. Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, http://www.adventureandscience.org,'>http://www.adventureandscience.org, is a Bozeman, MT based non-profit whose purpose is to further understanding of the natural world by facilitating the pairing of scientists and adventure athletes. The goal of ASC is to provide scientists with an avenue for collecting inexpensive and reliable data from areas that are difficult to reach. By pairing scientists with adventure athletes who are travelling to remote areas, ACS is creating a network of citizen-scientists who can give their quests additional meaning by acquiring data that scientists may not be able to obtain themselves. They also have a chance to learn and utilize a set of tools and methods to help conserve and maintain the wild places they visit

 

There are many possible scientific applications that can benefit from motivated volunteers. One of the most basic is simple observations and location data for species whose distribution is poorly known. The Craighead Institute is partnering with ASC to help expand baseline data on extant American pika (Ochotona princeps) colonies in the Rocky Mountains. Other researchers will benefit from at least 20 teams of hikers who will collect pika location data along the Pacific Crest Trail this summer. Two extreme adventurers, Justin Lichter and Shawn Forrey are hiking from Kanchenjunga westward to Nanga Parbat along the Himalaya. Along the way they are collecting data on Bar-headed geese for researcher Jessica Meir, and location data on pikas for the Craighead Institute.

 

Another type of research that can benefit from ASC utilizes samples collected from remote places. Currently Willie and Damien Benegas with the North Face climbing team will collect lichens from Mount Everest at what may well be the highest site for life on earth. Rusty Rodriguez, a microbiologist with the USGS from Seattle will receive these specimens. The climbers will also collect rocks for Tim McDerrmot from the Land Resources & Environmental Sciences Department at Montana State University with the goal of finding high altitude bacteria that can tolerate high levels of UV radiation. ASC coordinated the researchers and the climbers, and helped facilitate the acquisition of necessary permits.

 

A third possibility is the deployment and later retrieval of instruments. Experiments of this type are practical in areas where professional guides make repeat visits and can routinely retrieve data, replace batteries, and re-position instruments. Instruments can even be deployed by one group and then retrieved by a later group using GPS to find the sensors. Data loggers that collect temperature and other data are often used across landscapes: partnering with ASC can expand the landscapes that can be sampled. Simple procedures like setting out motion-sensor cameras and collecting them months later may provide valuable information on wildlife distribution. There are many possibilities related to Climate Change monitoring.

 

I would encourage anyone who might be able to utilize Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation to visit their website at http://www.adventureandscience.org, and to contact Gregg Treinish, the Executive Director at gregg@adventureandscience.org. ASC is interested in hearing of other types of research that may benefit from dedicated citizen-scientists who are motivated to work for conservation. In addition ASC is consolidating its Science Advisory Board and would be interested in including scientists who would like to become more formally involved with directing research applications and finding research partnerships.

 

Sincerely,

Lance Craighead

Executive Director

Craighead Institute

And Board Member of ASC