Calgary Captured Crowdsourcing Critters for Connectivity Chris - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Calgary Captured

Crowdsourcing Critters for Connectivity

Chris Manderson and Vanessa Carney, Urban Conservation, Calgary Parks

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Parks and Biodiversity

Biodiversity Strategic Plan (March 2015)

A city-wide focus – healthy communities need healthy parks and ecosystems The Durban Commitment—Biodiversity is an urban issue 3 Overarching principles:

• Ecological Resilience
• Ecological Literacy
• Integration of biodiversity into communities

Provide the tools for better understanding of conservation issues

• Monitoring and reporting framework
• Open Data
• Citizen Science

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4

Calgary’s Natural Environment Park system is a product of land development & opportunity

Natural Environment Parks

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NW Calgary in 1948

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Nose Hill Bowmont Inglewood Bird Sanctuary

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NW Calgary in 2016

“The Great Acceleration” and the Anthropocene

From Steffen et al. 2015. The trajectory of the Anthropocene: The Great Acceleration. The Anthropocene Review 2(1):81-98

Habitat Connectivity

How are Calgary’s NEPs Doing?

Models ‘flow’ between and within habitats

• Where are the gaps in our open space

system?

• How are the external influences

around an ecosystem affecting it’s long term viability?

• Are there opportunities to improve

connections?

• Validation

Habitat Condition Rating—tool to provide a metric of ecological health

107 132 12 50 100 150 Low (0-39) Medium (40-80) High (81-100) # NEPs Sampled

Human Disturbance Index

(for 251 Natural Environment Parks sampled in 2014-2015)

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Citizens and 311 Wildlife Sightings Trends

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Using Opportunistic Public Data

http://maps.Calgary.ca/WildLife/

Deer Observations (311 Wildlife Sightings) Roadkill Occurrences (311 Dead Animal Pickup Requests)

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Rethinking our relationship with nature in the City

• Fostering resilience
• Building connections
• Tools and information for

advocates

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“projects in which volunteers partner with scientists to answer real-world questions” Guiding Principles 1. Data collected is useful and usable 2. Volunteers have a meaningful & rewarding role 3. Data and results should be accessible to the public Of the people, by the people, for the people. Citizen science project typologies: Contributory Collaborative Co-created

What is Citizen Science?

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What is The City’s Role in Citizen Science?

Not-for-Profit Agencies

Educational Institutions

Federal Governments

Provincial Governments

Roles adopted by municipalities:

Lead: Calgary Captured (2017) Partner: Call of the Wetland (2015) Support: Calgary 150 Bioblitz (2017)

Local Governments

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Example 1: YYC Bird Count Pilot (2013, 2014)

Research Goals

• To better understand songbird assemblages & habitat use across the urban landscape
• To provide baseline dataset for songbird diversity monitoring as the city develops

Format

• Monitoring route (includes residential, park and industrial areas)
• Modeled after successful citizen science projects (Tucson Bird Count, Ottawa Breeding

Bird Survey

Assumptions

1. Calgary already has enthusiastic birding community who will want to participate 2. Sample methodology is accessible/can attract novice-experts

Calgary May Species Count Birding Adventures

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Example 2: Call of the Wetland (2016)

Research Goals

• To spatially identify amphibian species in Calgary
• To understand habitat factors for Calgary’s amphibians
• To provide Calgarians with meaningful nature engagement around Greenway

Format

• App surveys
• Training included in app

“Adopt a wetland”

• r

incidental observations

Tested

1. Wetland accessibility 2. App adoption/usage 3. Identification tools

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Example 3: Calgary Captured (2017)

Research Goals 2017: Who’s using our Parks? (presence) 2018+: How are wild species moving around the urban landscape between core habitats? Ecoliteracy Goals: 2017: Develop wildlife image classification tool open to citizens in Calgary & worldwide 2018: Engage Calgarians to classify wildlife in local parks Target Species 1. Medium–large terrestrial wildlife 2. Anecdotal observations of small mammals & birds 3. Patterns of human and domestic pet

• ff-trail use

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Calgary Captured vs. 311 Data Trends

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Calgary Captured Results – A Sneak Peek

Target Species ‘Captured’ May – September 2017 Beaver Bobcat Coyote Domestic dog (leash or not) Flying squirrel Moose Mule deer Porcupine Raccoon Skunk Weasel (long-tailed) White-tailed deer Other Wildlife Tagged in Calgary Parks:

Birds (songbirds, corvids, raptors, ring-necked pheasant), domestic cat, cattle, goat, hares, humans, small rodents (mice, voles), arachnids (bees, flies, butterflies, spiders and ticks)

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Calgary Captured Results – A Sneak Peek

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Calgary Captured Results – A Sneak Peek

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Calgary Captured Classifications – Round 1

City of Calgary social media

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Lessons Learned

Guiding Principles

• 1. Data collected is useful and usable
• 2. Volunteers have a meaningful &

rewarding role

• 3. Data and results should be

accessible to the public

What crowdsourcing option is best? Is the project truly democratic? How does design improve user experience & connection to the project and place?

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Thank You & Questions?

Citizen Science Projects

Calgary Captured (crowd-sourved image analysis) www.zooniverse.org/projects/calgary-captured/calgary-captured Call of the Wetland (amphibian monitoring) http://callofthewetland.ca/

More Information

Calgary’s Wild Neighbours (story map) maps.calgary.ca/WildLife/ City of Calgary wildlife URL www.calgary.ca/wildlife

Contacts

Chris Manderson, Urban Conservation Lead (Calgary Parks) chris.manderson@calgary.ca Vanessa Carney, Landscape Analysis Supervisor (Calgary Parks) vanessa.carney@calgary.ca