abstract: 'Amateur naturalists have played an important role in the study and

  conservation of nature since the 17th century. Today, naturalist groups

  make important contributions to bridge the gap between conservation

  science and practice around the world. We examined data from 2 regional

  naturalist programs to understand participant motivations, barriers, and

  perspectives as well as the actions they take to advance science,

  stewardship, and community engagement. These programs provide

  certification-based natural history and conservation science training

  for adults that is followed by volunteer service in citizen science,

  education, and stewardship. Studies in California and Virginia include

  quantitative and qualitative evaluation data collected through pre- and

  postcourse surveys, interviews, and long-term tracking of volunteer

  hours. Motivations of participants focused on learning about the local

  environment and plants and animals, connecting with nature, becoming

  certified, and spending time with people who have similar interests.

  Over half the participants surveyed were over 50 years old, two-thirds

  were women, and a majority reported household incomes of over \$50,000

  (60\% in California, 85\% in Virginia), and <20\% of those surveyed in

  both states described themselves as nonwhite. Thus, these programs need

  to improve participation by a wider spectrum of the public. We

  interviewed younger and underrepresented adults to examine barriers to

  participation in citizen science. The primary barrier was lack of time

  due to the need to work and focus on career advancement. Survey data

  revealed that participants'' ecological knowledge, scientific skills, and

  belief in their ability to address environmental issues increased after

  training. Documented conservation actions taken by the participants

  include invasive plant management, habitat restoration, and cleanups of

  natural areas and streams. Long-term data from Virginia on volunteer

  hours dedicated to environmental citizen science show an increase from

  14\% in 2007 to 32\% in 2014. In general, participants in the naturalist

  programs we examined increased their content knowledge about ecosystems,

  had greater confidence in conserving them, and continued to engage as

  citizen scientists after completing the program.'
affiliation: 'Merenlender, AM (Corresponding Author), Univ Calif Berkeley, Dept Environm
  Sci Policy \& Management, 137 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA.

  Merenlender, Adina M., Univ Calif Berkeley, Dept Environm Sci Policy \& Management,
  137 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA.

  Crall, Alycia W.; Prysby, Michelle, Virginia Tech, 460 Stagecoach Rd,Suite E201,
  Charlottesville, VA 22902 USA.

  Drill, Sabrina, Los Angeles Ventura Counties, UC Cooperat Extens, 669 Cty Sq Dr,
  Ventura, CA 93003 USA.

  Ballard, Heidi, Univ Calif Davis, Sch Educ, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616 USA.'
author: Merenlender, Adina M. and Crall, Alycia W. and Drill, Sabrina and Prysby,
  Michelle and Ballard, Heidi
author-email: adinam@berkeley.edu
author_list:
- family: Merenlender
  given: Adina M.
- family: Crall
  given: Alycia W.
- family: Drill
  given: Sabrina
- family: Prysby
  given: Michelle
- family: Ballard
  given: Heidi
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1111/cobi.12737
eissn: 1523-1739
files: []
issn: 0888-8892
journal: CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
keywords: 'diversity; ecological monitoring; natural history; UC California

  Naturalist; Virginia Master Naturalist; volunteers'
keywords-plus: VOLUNTEERS; KNOWLEDGE; ATTITUDES; BEHAVIOR; HISTORY
language: English
month: DEC
number: '6'
number-of-cited-references: '34'
orcid-numbers: 'Drill, Sabrina/0000-0001-8243-7422

  MERENLENDER, Adina/0000-0002-0681-8642'
pages: 1255-1265
papis_id: 8b5ac80d828a35c1c272023ecba71400
ref: Merenlender2016evaluatingenvironmen
times-cited: '69'
title: Evaluating environmental education, citizen science, and stewardship through
  naturalist programs
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000387229900012
usage-count-last-180-days: '3'
usage-count-since-2013: '224'
volume: '30'
web-of-science-categories: Biodiversity Conservation; Ecology; Environmental Sciences
year: '2016'