The YardMap Network is being developed by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in conjunction with numerous partners (see description below for list)

Description:

The citizen science program at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology was awarded funding from the NSF Informal Science Education Program on 17 October 2009 to create a new, integrative citizen science project, The YardMap Network, which will allow participants to map their habitat management and carbon neutral practices in backyards and parks, interact socially within the network, and display their activities and carbon footprints on a Google map. Gardeners, birders, online learners who are novices, and Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s (CLO) 300,000 citizen science participants, will form ecological social networks that span the continent. Participants first locate their yards or parks on a Google maps interface with high resolution imagery, and then use a small set of coded habitat types and sustainable activities to create a map of the sustainable practices they have implemented, including planting natives, putting up bird feeders, installing a solar panel, or even biking to work. These practices are stored as data and linked to Cornell’s citizen science bird observations. We will integrate social networking tools (chat, forum, twitter etc.) to foster the development of online learning communities and allow people to share their maps and practices broadly within the network if they choose. Meanwhile, participants have access to a wide array of rich media and web-based learning resources with learning objectives ranging from bird and plant identification to conceptual understanding of complex habitat-bird occupancy interactions, including the importance of the size and arrangement of habitat patches and the potential for cumulative impacts of many small acts to make a difference to both bird conservation and carbon neutrality. This project will be created in partnership with the USFWS National Wildlife Refuge System, The American Community Gardening Association, The Roger Tory Peterson Institute, The National Audubon Society, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Empire State College.

 

Keywords:

Topic - birds, habitat, wildlife, neighborhood, yard

Audience - public, youth, adults, families

Location - backyard, parks, online, worldwide

Goals - research, education, conservation, stewardship

 

Contacts: