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16 - Citizen Science and Bears
- Edited by Owen T. Nevin, Ian Convery, Peter Davis
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- Book:
- The Bear: Culture, Nature, Heritage
- Published by:
- Boydell & Brewer
- Published online:
- 21 March 2020
- Print publication:
- 15 November 2019, pp 199-210
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Summary
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF CITIZEN SCIENCE
Bears and other large carnivores excite pubic interest and as such might seem like natural candidates for citizen science projects. In reality, however, these charismatic carnivores often live in remote, rugged, difficult terrain; they are often widely dispersed, living at low densities and are cryptic in their habits. Even though public interest in this species is high, the logistics of citizen science projects sometimes render programmes ineffective or too challenging to manage. With thoughtful planning, however, citizen science projects focusing on grizzly bear research can be a positive experience for participants and increase the scope of research databases. As a recent example of this, a 2018 project developed by the Cornell University-based New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is using data collected by citizen scientists to better understand New York's black bear population size and distribution, and how that distribution relates to forest, agricultural, and urban/suburban landscapes and communities (https://iseemammals. org/). In this chapter, we report on an earlier ‘bear citizen science’ project – Grizzly Research in the Rockies (Elmeligi 2016) – and another more established citizen science programme hosted by Alberta Parks, but first we consider the growth of citizen science.
Put simply, citizen science is the involvement of the public in scientific research; recentlywith smartphones and apps, but amateur naturalists have always played an important role in developing our understanding of nature. Before the emergence of the professional scientist it was provincial naturalists, men such as Gilbert White, who made enormous contributions to natural history (1993). White's 1789 book The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne was a pioneering work of natural history and place, and remains one of the most frequently published titles in the English language (see also David Allen's The Naturalist in Britain (1976) for an excellent account of the evolution of natural history from the 17th to the early 20th century). Today, the term ‘citizen science’ is increasingly used to describe the involvement of ‘non-expert/non-professional’ scientists in research-related activities. Citizen science is a form of research collaboration where data acquisition is performed by ‘non-expert’ individuals who are often members of the public (Catlin-Groves 2012). Typically, this approach is used for large scale scientific studies (Hart et al 2012) and projects that encourage the public to participate by acting as voluntary field assistants, gathering information to greatly increase datasets (Fowler et al 2013).
14 - Reducing Uncertainty in Bear Management
- Edited by Owen T. Nevin, Ian Convery, Peter Davis
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- Book:
- The Bear: Culture, Nature, Heritage
- Published by:
- Boydell & Brewer
- Published online:
- 21 March 2020
- Print publication:
- 15 November 2019, pp 177-186
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Summary
Once globally abundant ranging across Asia, Europe and North America, grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) have been classified as threatened, endangered or vulnerable in most parts of their range (Weilgus 2002). In Canada, the grizzly bear is classified as ‘Special Concern’ by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC 2018); in the contiguous United States, they are listed as ‘Endangered’ under the Endangered Species Act (US Fish and Wildlife Service 2018). From the 1940s to 1960s, habitat loss resulting from expanding human settlements and agriculture (Shelton 2001) combined with increasing negative interactions between people and bears led to the killing of grizzly bears and dramatic decreases in population sizes (McCracken 1957). Habitat loss from industrial land use practices and conflict with people continues to impact grizzly bear populations in Canada (Benn and Herrero 2002; Nielsen et al 2006).
Human use and development, such as roads, communities, industrial development and recreational use, impact grizzly bear habitat both inside and outside of protected areas in western Canada (Nielsen et al 2006; Sorensen et al 2015). Grizzly bears in western Canada exist in a multi-use landscape with home ranges often overlapping federal and provincial management agency jurisdictions (eg federal and provincial protected areas, other public lands, and private land; Bourbonnais et al 2013). Each of these jurisdictions has different management responses to grizzly bear behaviour and habitat use detailed in their respective management plans. Primary human use in each of these jurisdictions is also variable (eg recreation, private land use, and industrial or commercial use). As a result, how people react to grizzly bears and their expectations regarding bear management change across the landscape. Grizzly bears with home ranges overlapping multiple jurisdictions must navigate a complex variety of human uses and potential management responses.
There are many challenges regarding researching grizzly bear habitat use and activity in areas of human use. Their large home ranges can render data collection challenging across varying spatial scales. The diversity of habitats they can occupy across various densities and intensities of human use can make inferences at the population level difficult to defend. They are also complex animals that can make decisions based on complex stimuli and learn over time, which can render robust statistical analyses at the population scale difficult or inappropriate based on the dataset.
P.037 Keeping track of time: emphasizing symptom onset-to-hospital time in stroke care
- DE Freedman, N Behih, A Elmeligi, D Sahlas
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- Journal:
- Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Volume 46 / Issue s1 / June 2019
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 05 June 2019, pp. S23-S24
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- Article
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Background: The Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations target a median door-to-needle time of 30 minutes. However, brain tissue becomes damaged with any delay from symptom onset. Efficiencies may be gained prior to hospital arrival, by evaluating the timeliness of patient access to hospital from symptom onset, as well as by improving healthcare provider communication, prior to arrival of the patient. Methods: We engaged with hospital administration, paramedic services, allied health colleagues, physicians, and engineers, to develop Kairos, a secure online platform that healthcare providers can utilize to track progress en route to hospital, as well as to share pertinent stroke patient information, prior to arrival. Results: Kairos is built on React Native, allowing users to access it on android or iOS devices. Paramedics select patient identification, symptom onset time, and associated symptoms. The receiving hospital can add doctors to the patient’s thread, and the stroke team can prepare for patient arrival. Conclusions: We plan to measure the median symptom onset-to-hospital time in patients with strokes, and monitor the change in door-to-needle time following implementation at an Ontario Regional Stroke Centre.
25 - Citizen Science and the Perception of Nature
- from PEOPLE–NATURE INTERACTIONS
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- By Sarah Elmeligi, Canmore, Alberta, Samantha Finn, Owen Nevin, CQ University Australia, Ian Convery, University of Cumbria
- Edited by Ian Convery, Professor of Conservation & Forestry, Centre for Wildlife Conservation, University of Cumbria., Peter Davis, Emeritus Professor of Museology, University of Newcastle
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- Book:
- Changing Perceptions of Nature
- Published by:
- Boydell & Brewer
- Published online:
- 26 October 2017
- Print publication:
- 16 June 2016, pp 253-264
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Summary
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF CITIZEN SCIENCE
Amateur naturalists have always played an important role in developing our understanding of nature. As the editors of this volume indicate in the Introduction, before the emergence of the professional scientist it was provincial naturalists, men such as Gilbert White, who made enormous contributions to natural history (1993). White's 1789 book The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne was a pioneering work of natural history and place, and remains one of the most frequently published titles in the English language (see also David Allen's The Naturalist in Britain (1976) for an excellent account of the evolution of natural history from the seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries). Today the term ‘citizen science’ is used increasingly to describe the involvement of ‘non-expert/non-professional’ scientists in research-related activities. Put simply, citizen science is a form of research collaboration where data gathering is performed by ‘non-expert’ individuals; these ‘non-experts’ are often members of the public (Catlin-Groves 2012). Typically this approach is used for large-scale scientific studies (Hart et al 2012) and projects that encourage the public to participate by acting as voluntary field assistants, gathering information to greatly increase datasets (Fowler et al 2013). These projects, however, can also be designed to recognise and incorporate culture and policy contexts surrounding conservation science (Freitag and Pfeffer 2013) and are thus part of the way in which perceptions of the natural world may change over time.
Citizen science usually incorporates an element of public education (Catlin-Groves 2012) and can dramatically improve public scientific literacy, encouraging more serious consideration of other relevant complex scientific issues (Hart et al 2012). Depending on the research project, citizen science can be beneficial to both the scientific community and the participants themselves. Participants can provide a solution to the limited funding and capacity to collect data while gaining valuable experience in scientific research, as well as educational and health benefits (Fowler et al 2013).