Citizen science and natural resource governance: program design for vernal pool policy innovation

McGreavy, Bridie; Calhoun, Aram J. K.; Jansujwicz, Jessica S.; Levesque, Vanessa R.

doi:10.5751/es-08437-210248

Cited by 32 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 56 publications

(91 reference statements)

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“…The participants in our research felt that feasible policy solutions for vernal pools are difficult to develop because of public opinion and resources needed to categorize pools for protection. Citizen science and community‐based conservation were seen by some of our participants as solutions for shaping policy and improving science through data collection and learning, and is evident in other work that has been done in the Northeast ( e.g ., McGreavy et al ., , ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…As evidenced from the literature on developing and studying citizen science programs ( e.g ., McGreavy et al ., ; Levesque et al ., ), it seems at least some experts are taking on the role of leading or participating in local efforts to provide trustworthy information that can be incorporated into policy and program development. It may be that adaptive governance approaches at lower administrative scales that increase learning and trust at those levels ( e.g ., McGreavy et al ., ; Levesque et al ., ) — what one interviewee termed “…a top‐down and bottom‐up, hybrid approach…” — are the primary, most feasible means to protect vernal pools in states with supporting legislation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…() used an institutional analysis approach to understand a collaborative approach to developing vernal pools policy tools and McGreavy et al . () investigated the impacts of citizen science on vernal pools policy and governance. Regardless of the lens used, the research on local and state level vernal pool conservation in the Northeast has focused on identifying various issues with and approaches to developing policies to protect vernal pools.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Expert Perceptions of Approaches to Protecting Isolated Wetlands in the Northeastern United States

Floress

Kolozsvary

Mangun

2017

J American Water Resour Assoc

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In this article, we describe how protecting vernal pools was discussed by experts in the northeastern United States (U.S) within the context of a theoretical policy framework. We offer insight about characteristics of feasible vernal pool policy solutions, and identify gaps in our understanding, particularly regarding conditions in states currently lacking specific vernal pool protections. Vernal pools are geographically isolated, intermittent wetlands that provide important habitat for a variety of plants and animals. Many may not be federally protected as a result of judicial decisions over the past two decades, and the rule intended to clarify what qualifies for federal protection is currently being reviewed by the courts. Thus, state or local policy approaches may be alternatives to conserving vernal pools. We interviewed vernal pool experts in the northeastern U.S. regarding approaches to vernal pool protection and analyzed their perceptions through the lens of Kingdon's () multiple streams policy development framework. The framework denotes 13 characteristics of three processes associated with policy development: problem identification, policy solution development, and the impacts of politics. While analyzed for all 13 components, we found participants most often discussed feasibility of policy formulation and implementation, particularly with regard to protecting vernal pools of high value while also remaining within the bounds of what public opinion supports.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Expert Perceptions of Approaches to Protecting Isolated Wetlands in the Northeastern United States

Floress

Kolozsvary

Mangun

2017

J American Water Resour Assoc

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“…Many citizen science projects are developed to meet scientific outcomes (Bell et al, 2008); however, some are created to increase community networking, build community engagement, assist policy implementation and decisionmaking processes, increase participants' perceptions of stewardship, and enhance environmental education (Cooper et al, 2007;McKinley et al, 2017;McGreavy et al, 2016;Ottinger, 2009). Citizen science efforts commonly strive for at least one of three different outcomes: scientific, participant, and socio-ecological.…”

Section: Citizen Science In Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing a Citizen Science Project for Forest Landscapes: A Case from Hofmann Forest in Eastern North Carolina

Hovis¹,

Cubbage²,

Rashash³

2020

OJF

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Citizen science is a participatory research design that utilizes both non-professional researchers and professional researchers to collect, analyze, and disperse data. Citizen scientists seek to discover answers and draw solutions to scientific questions. The Hofmann Open Water Laboratory (HOWL) project, established in 2016, focuses its collaborative-based efforts in eastern North Carolina. HOWL citizen scientists monitor water quality, and quantity, that flows on and off the Hofmann Forest. HOWL provides opportunities to citizen scientists and gathers data to meet the project outcomes, which include understanding the importance of Hofmann Forest in the inner coastal plain of North Carolina, building science education skills for citizen science participants, and enhancing community relationships between the forest and citizens. This article outlines several approaches for developing citizen science projects in a forest context, drawing on experiences from HOWL. The paradigm can be used to meet the needs of any forest landscape's research and management goals, while employing a participatory research approach. The guidelines present suggestions for productive and enduring processes for citizen engagement and project sustainability. Each project will need participants to set goals, build a diverse collaboration, and establish ongoing evaluation processes to determine successful and failed components that ensures the project moves forward effectively. The citizen science efforts near the Hofmann Forest in Eastern North Carolina provided an excellent case study of the development of citizen science on the forest and adjacent lands. HOWL attempts to meet participant and socio-ecological outcomes, such as encouraging public action in natural resource and forest management, as well as enhancing scientific knowledge and skills. The project helps synthesize our experiences in this effort and the social science literature, providing

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“…The SAMP was the outcome of a multi-year collaborative process based on the participation of a range of stakeholders with different experiences, knowledge, and needs. During this collaboration, trust was developed and power was shared between traditional adversaries, and participants learned from each other and co-created new knowledge [16,[19][20]. This process encouraged respectful discussion, sharing of ideas and generation of solutions, and, in doing so, created the atmosphere in which participants felt empowered to propose innovative options.…”

Section: Background On the Vernal Pool Sampmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vernal Pool Conservation: Enhancing Existing Regulation Through the Creation of the Maine Vernal Pool Special Area Management Plan

Levesque

Calhoun

Hertz³

2019

Case Studies in the Environment

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Conservation of natural resources is challenging given the competing economic and ecological goals humans have for landscapes. Vernal pools in the northeastern US are seasonal, small wetlands that provide critical breeding habitat for amphibians and invertebrates adapted to temporary waters, and are exceptionally hard to conserve as their function is dependent on connections to other wetlands and upland forests. A team of researchers in Maine joined forces with a diverse array of governmental and private stakeholders to develop an alternative to existing top-down vernal pool regulation. Through creative adoption and revision of various resource management tools, they produced a vernal pool conservation mechanism, the Maine Vernal Pool Special Management Area Plan that meets the needs of diverse stakeholders from developers to ecologists. This voluntary mitigation tool uses fees from impacts to vernal pools in locally identified growth areas to fund conservation of “poolscapes” (pools plus appropriate adjacent habitat) in areas locally designated for rural use. In this case study, we identify six key features of this mechanism that illustrate the use of existing tools to balance growth and pool conservation. This case study will provide readers with key concepts that can be applied to any conservation problem: namely, how to work with diverse interests toward a common goal, how to evaluate and use existing policy tools in new ways, and how to approach solutions to sticky problems through a willingness to accept uncertainty and risk.

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Citizen science and natural resource governance: program design for vernal pool policy innovation

Cited by 32 publications

References 56 publications

Expert Perceptions of Approaches to Protecting Isolated Wetlands in the Northeastern United States

Expert Perceptions of Approaches to Protecting Isolated Wetlands in the Northeastern United States

Designing a Citizen Science Project for Forest Landscapes: A Case from Hofmann Forest in Eastern North Carolina

Vernal Pool Conservation: Enhancing Existing Regulation Through the Creation of the Maine Vernal Pool Special Area Management Plan

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