123 lines
4.2 KiB
YAML
123 lines
4.2 KiB
YAML
abstract: 'Amateur naturalists have played an important role in the study and
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conservation of nature since the 17th century. Today, naturalist groups
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make important contributions to bridge the gap between conservation
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science and practice around the world. We examined data from 2 regional
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naturalist programs to understand participant motivations, barriers, and
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perspectives as well as the actions they take to advance science,
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stewardship, and community engagement. These programs provide
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certification-based natural history and conservation science training
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for adults that is followed by volunteer service in citizen science,
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education, and stewardship. Studies in California and Virginia include
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quantitative and qualitative evaluation data collected through pre- and
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postcourse surveys, interviews, and long-term tracking of volunteer
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hours. Motivations of participants focused on learning about the local
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environment and plants and animals, connecting with nature, becoming
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certified, and spending time with people who have similar interests.
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Over half the participants surveyed were over 50 years old, two-thirds
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were women, and a majority reported household incomes of over \$50,000
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(60\% in California, 85\% in Virginia), and <20\% of those surveyed in
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both states described themselves as nonwhite. Thus, these programs need
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to improve participation by a wider spectrum of the public. We
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interviewed younger and underrepresented adults to examine barriers to
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participation in citizen science. The primary barrier was lack of time
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due to the need to work and focus on career advancement. Survey data
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revealed that participants'' ecological knowledge, scientific skills, and
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belief in their ability to address environmental issues increased after
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training. Documented conservation actions taken by the participants
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include invasive plant management, habitat restoration, and cleanups of
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natural areas and streams. Long-term data from Virginia on volunteer
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hours dedicated to environmental citizen science show an increase from
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14\% in 2007 to 32\% in 2014. In general, participants in the naturalist
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programs we examined increased their content knowledge about ecosystems,
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had greater confidence in conserving them, and continued to engage as
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citizen scientists after completing the program.'
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affiliation: 'Merenlender, AM (Corresponding Author), Univ Calif Berkeley, Dept Environm
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Sci Policy \& Management, 137 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA.
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Merenlender, Adina M., Univ Calif Berkeley, Dept Environm Sci Policy \& Management,
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137 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA.
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Crall, Alycia W.; Prysby, Michelle, Virginia Tech, 460 Stagecoach Rd,Suite E201,
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Charlottesville, VA 22902 USA.
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Drill, Sabrina, Los Angeles Ventura Counties, UC Cooperat Extens, 669 Cty Sq Dr,
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Ventura, CA 93003 USA.
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Ballard, Heidi, Univ Calif Davis, Sch Educ, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616 USA.'
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author: Merenlender, Adina M. and Crall, Alycia W. and Drill, Sabrina and Prysby,
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Michelle and Ballard, Heidi
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author-email: adinam@berkeley.edu
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author_list:
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- family: Merenlender
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given: Adina M.
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- family: Crall
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given: Alycia W.
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- family: Drill
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given: Sabrina
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- family: Prysby
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given: Michelle
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- family: Ballard
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given: Heidi
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da: '2023-09-28'
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doi: 10.1111/cobi.12737
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eissn: 1523-1739
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files: []
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issn: 0888-8892
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journal: CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
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keywords: 'diversity; ecological monitoring; natural history; UC California
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Naturalist; Virginia Master Naturalist; volunteers'
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keywords-plus: VOLUNTEERS; KNOWLEDGE; ATTITUDES; BEHAVIOR; HISTORY
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language: English
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month: DEC
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number: '6'
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number-of-cited-references: '34'
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orcid-numbers: 'Drill, Sabrina/0000-0001-8243-7422
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MERENLENDER, Adina/0000-0002-0681-8642'
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pages: 1255-1265
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papis_id: 8b5ac80d828a35c1c272023ecba71400
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ref: Merenlender2016evaluatingenvironmen
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times-cited: '69'
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title: Evaluating environmental education, citizen science, and stewardship through
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naturalist programs
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type: article
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unique-id: WOS:000387229900012
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usage-count-last-180-days: '3'
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usage-count-since-2013: '224'
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volume: '30'
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web-of-science-categories: Biodiversity Conservation; Ecology; Environmental Sciences
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year: '2016'
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