May 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 43

The unmistakable sky blue eggs and
fine grass indicate a successful nest by
Eastern bluebirds.

Project and Program Size
Doesn't Matter
Park and recreation agencies have
had a long tradition of enlisting

Right: Volunteer John Whisler checks a
nest box near the pond at NRPA headquarters in Ashburn, Virginia.

volunteers to monitor wildlife and
to create and maintain habitat in
parks. This tradition goes back to
the earliest days of parks, refuges
and protected natural areas.
Citizen science programs don't
need to be large to be successful.
Cathy Meyer, park naturalist of
Monroe County, Indiana, talks
about the programs they offer for
citizen science volunteers. Their
park system is only 400 acres in
size with a half-dozen full-time
and a dozen part-time employees.
" We are short on staff and funds, "
she says. " There is a lot we would
like to do that we simply don't have
the time or budget to do, and with
volunteers we can. Although we
would like more staff, we just don't
have the budget to hire additional
staff. Our volunteers are ambassadors for the parks when they are
out there.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN WHISLER

Wildlife Conservancy and bluebird
program coordinator for Loudoun
County, connected Whisler with
NRPA staff in 2016. He began
monitoring a trail, first installed by
a local Eagle scout, and it was a
perfect match. " I know John to be
a brilliant engineer, an avid sportsman and someone who had years
of experience monitoring bluebirds
in Nebraska, " says Etten. " I was
absolutely delighted he could take
on the NRPA bluebird trail. He has
done some retrofits, added new boxes and provided maintenance each
year. Based on John's advice, I
have been incorporating some of his
sug-gestions on other bluebird
trails in Loudoun County. "
Whisler's dedication to monitoring the NRPA bluebird trail is not
unique. Tens of thousands of volunteers across the country assist park
and recreation agencies through citizen science programs and wildlife
habitat projects. One of the largest
citizen science and volunteer wildlife conservation programs in parks
is overseen by the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department (TPWD). According to Kris Shipman, TPWD's
volunteer program manager, they use
volunteers for seasonal bird counts,
to create pollinator gardens using native plants, to help fisheries biologists
with collecting ecosystem data and
to provide educational outreach to
underserved youth. Overall, we have
around 5,000 volunteers who participate in citizen science programs.
Last year, they gave 634,817 hours!
There is an opportunity for everyone
to participate, " Shipman says.

W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | M AY 2 0 1 9 |

Parks & Recreation

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May 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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