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Mar 26, 2023 98 likes •306 views

Reef Check California: Citizen Science Reef Monitoring Selena McMillan, PhD Jan Freiwald, PhD State Assembly Select Committee Hearing June 7 th 2017 Ph Phil G Garner Citizen Science Citizen science engages non-scientists in authentic

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Reef Check California: Citizen Science Reef Monitoring

Selena McMillan, PhD Jan Freiwald, PhD

State Assembly Select Committee Hearing June 7th 2017

Ph Phil G Garner

SLIDE 2

Citizen Science

Goals

Involve the public
Work over large spatial and

temporal scales

Focus on informing natural

resource management

Citizen science engages non-scientists in authentic scientific research and monitoring

SLIDE 3

Citizen Science

Research Education Engagement

SLIDE 4

Reef Check Foundation

1998 - Reef Check Foundation established

Created to utilize citizen

science

Study coral reefs

worldwide

Inform and implement

coral reef conservation through science

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Reef Check California

Established in 2006

Monitor rocky reefs & kelp forests using standardized protocols

1. Provide data to inform marine management and policy
2. Foster an educated constituency, supportive of science–based

management and ocean stewardship

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Marine protected area network

MPA baseline
MPA evaluation

Fisheries management

Red abalone

Reef Check California

Pollution

Santa Barbara oil spill

Emerging issues

Disease
Ecosystem change

Climate Change

Implementing climate

change monitoring in 2017

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Reef Check California Training

Marine ecology
Oceanography
Fisheries management and MPAs
Intensive 4-day training

– 2 days in classroom/pool – 2 days in open ocean

Volunteers are tested and certified

– Annual re-certification

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Reef Check California Training

Scientific method
Approach recognized

by CDFW

Protocol comparable

to academic research

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Reef Check California Training

Commercial Fisherman Recreational Divers University Students Agency Staff

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46.9% 34.9% 12.4% 4.0% 1.8%

Educational background

4-yr College Masters PhD/MD/JD 2-yr College High School

Over the last decade… >1000 volunteers participated in surveys

many more went

through the training = 8000 volunteer days

Volunteer Participation

30 years of full-time work by citizen scientists

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Statewide Citizen Science Monitoring Program

11 years of data inside and

utside of MPAs
125 sites surveyed

– 68 for 5 years or more

56 within MPAs

Annually

~90 sites
~250 trained volunteers/year

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Statewide Citizen Science Monitoring Program

MPA baseline monitoring in all regions
Long-term MPA monitoring
Ecosystem change monitoring
Basic science

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David Horwich

Changing Ocean Ecosystems

0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Density (#/60 m2) Year North North Central Central South

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Changing Ocean Ecosystems

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Changing Ocean Ecosystems

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Changing Ocean Ecosystems

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http://data.reefcheck.us/

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Acknowledgements

Citizen Scientist Volunteers

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Thank you!

data.reefcheck.org Selena McMillan smcmillan@reefcheck.org reefcheck.org