Abstract Detail

Conference Wide

Mazer, Susan [1], Matthews, Elizabeth [2].

The California Phenology Project: tracking the effects ofclimate on plant phenology through citizen science.

Inthis hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to contribute to anationwide effort to track the effects of climate change on the timing ofphenological events such as leaf emergence and first flowering date. Topics will include the evidence-based linkbetween (and the mechanisms responsible for) phenological events and climate;the long-term effects of climate change on plant phenology; and the risks ofphenological mismatches induced by environmental change. The workshop will prepare participants toconduct their own training of students, volunteers, and members of the publicto record phenological observations on campuses, at botanical gardens, and inwild habitats.This workshop will include a short presentation, interactiveactivities, and a discussion session that will provide background informationon phenology (and ways to teach its importance to undergraduates or adultstudents) and on the monitoring protocols and on-line database designed by the USANational Phenology Network (www.usanpn.org) to which the public and scientists maycontribute standardized phenological observations of hundreds of plant andanimal species.We will introduce the California Phenology Project (CPP; www.usanpn.org/cpp),a statewide phenological monitoring program based in 8 National Parks and 6 Universityof California Natural Reserves, among which 33 plant species are currently beingmonitored in a replicated fashion across a variety of environmental gradients. Wewill describe the planning and implementation of this regional program andoffer guidance and reference materials that describe the steps and challengesfaced when creating a highly organized but flexible program that encouragespublic participation in scientific research. The standardized protocols of theNational Phenology Network will be introduced and practiced by workshopparticipants, and the on-line resources available for phenological data upload,download, and visualization will be explored.

Broader Impacts:

1 - University Of California Santa Barbara, Department Of Ecology & Marine Biology, 4119 Life Sciences Building, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
2 - University of California Santa Barbara, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, Santa Barbara, CA

Keywords:
none specified

Presentation Type: Array
Session: WS08
Location: /
Date: Sunday, July 28th, 2013
Time: 1:00 PM
Number: WS08001
Abstract ID:50
Candidate for Awards:None