“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” - John Muir

From birds to snakes to butterflies, there are so many things being examined, counted and categorized in Riverside Park! Our Citizen Science program literally connects you to the natural world through local research. Get connected to the natural world through the Urban Ecology Center!

Check out our updated
Astronomy Notes Page!

The Citizens Behind the Science

The concept of Citizen Science is as old as science itself.

What is Citizen Science? It is the involvement of citizens from the non-scientific community in academic research. Therefore, the very first scientists were, by definition, Citizen Scientists. In the Urban Ecology Center Citizen Science Program this includes a strong group of volunteers who help with bird, mammal, snake and plant research.

Over time, science developed into academia with research institutions to separate “professional” scientists from “amateur” scientists and the term “ivory tower” came to represent the isolation of academics from the daily life of citizenry. With this separation came a misconception that amateur citizens could not be involved in “real” research because they are not trained scientists. Nothing could be further from the truth.

With careful training, anyone can collect reliable data. A prime example of how citizen scientists contribute to publishable academic research is the Milwaukee County Avian Migration and Monitoring Partnership. This partnership, which includes the Urban Ecology Center, is a groundbreaking study that uses bird physiology as an indicator of habitat quality. It requires technical skills to safely capture birds, draw blood and process the metabolites in the blood. Obviously we can’t just send anyone to do this, but there are currently a dozen or so citizen scientists who have volunteered a great deal of time and have gained the expertise through patience, commitment and training.

Does this mean that we can used only trained volunteers for this project? Of course not. This fall two ten-year old citizen scientists visited the project for the first time, full of spunk and energy. They provided a valuable service, running from mist-net to mist-net to let us know if any birds were caught. New volunteers start by observing; then they learn how to put up and take down equipment, record data and eventually learn how to safely handle birds.

It is a requirement that all research in Riverside Park use citizen scientists, from snake surveys to habitat restoration to mammal population studies. The connection between the academic world and the rest of us yields huge benefits. Researchers gain access to reliable field assistants, can increase their sampling areas and data collection power and gain local support from the community who can claim ownership. Volunteers gain an education, learn valuable research skills and experience the natural world at a new level.

According to E.O. Wilson, “Scientific natural history is one of the few endeavors in which any interested person can make original contributions to science… There are just too many kinds of organisms [to study] and too few professional scientists.” The Urban Ecology Center attracts quality research due to a dynamic group of Citizen Scientists.

Urban Ecology Center
Citizen Science Project

Participate with researchers in actual scientific field research. As an assistant in a Citizen Science project you are really connected to the natural world.

Three ways to get involved:

Researcher - if you are a university professor, graduate/undergraduate student or an interested community member you could initiate a project within Riverside or Washington Park. The Research Coordinator assists with project selection, design and arranging of volunteer research assistants.

Research assistant – work side-by-side with researchers collecting data.

Research observer – watch research in action. In addition to area researchers, you could also get involved in a national research project with one of our partners. For example, you could monitor nesting birds for Cornell University Lab of Ornithology.

Research partners include:

Carroll College

Cornell University

Marquette University

Milwaukee Public Museum

Teton Science School

University of Wisconsin System

Wisconsin DNR

Wisconsin Foundation of Independent Colleges

and many more!

Contact Tim Vargo, Manager of Research and Citizen Science at tvargo@urbanecologycenter.org or 964-8505, x116, for more information or to become involved in a study.

What Color is Your Bird-Watching?

by Tim Vargo, Manager of Research and Citizen Science, January 2010

Many of us like to look at birds, in part because of their striking colors. A cardinal in February brings a brilliant flash of red to a white landscape, while a male Wood Duck in breeding plumage looks as if he came straight from a color-by-number book. But my focus for this article isn’t on the color of birds, but of their watchers. Literally speaking, birders should avoid wearing white or other brilliant colors that may scare away birds, but that’s for another day. Today, I’m going to focus on the figurative colors of birdwatchers and the impact of their actions.

The color green has come to symbolize nature and ecologically-sensitive issues (green products, green buildings, etc.). Birding would seem to be a “green” hobby and often it is, but consider the following examples:

Many birders are “listers,” engaging in personal or competitive goals of maximizing the number of bird species on their life list (or state or county list). Joe Birder decides that he needs the Fluff-breasted Sneezlehort on his life list, so he gets on an airplane and flies many thousands of miles to East Sneezle Island, not considering the huge carbon footprint his actions entail. Or consider Sally Birder who just saw an endangered Lesser-rumped Syrup-Sipper at Riverside Park. She posts her sighting on the internet and hundreds of people get in their cars to see this bird (again the carbon footprint), which then gets harassed day and night until it leaves.

Both Joe and Sally mean well, but they may want to look at a couple of resources that could help them understand the broader impacts of their actions. The American Birding Association put together a Birder’s Code of Ethics (www.aba.org), which sets guideline to ensure bird safety and well-being. Plus, there is a growing green-birding movement started by Sparroworks in Canada. Green or carbon-neutral birding focuses on lists generated by human power with the associated benefits of reducing greenhouse emissions, increasing exercise and coming to know and appreciate the birds in your own neighborhood.

So for 2010, I am going to create a BIGBY (Big Green Birding Year) list to see how long a bird list I can generate from my home without using extra fossil fuels. Luckily, I just moved to the Washington Park area which is an excellent spot for birds. I can also add to my list by biking to local green spaces including Riverside Park.

If you would like to join me in creating your own BIGBY list, please visit www.sparroworks.ca for guidelines. There are 3 categories: the walking BIGBY, the self-propelled BIGBY (add bikes, canoes, etc.) and the public transit BIGBY. If you’re up for a bit of healthy competition, shoot me an e-mail and I’ll accept a friendly wager involving baked goods or a canoe trip.

According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, birding is an $100 billion industry with 50 million birders in the U.S. alone. If even a small percentage of them considered using more people power to get to the birds (or carpooling or public transit or fuel-efficient vehicles), the color of birding would turn a much deeper shade of green.

For more information on green-birding or to pony up a wager with Tim, contact him at (414) 964-8505, x116.

White-nosed Syndrome: Are Wisconsin’s Bats in Trouble?

by Tim Vargo, Manager of Research and Citizen Science

It started in New York in 2007. Thousands of emaciated bats emerged early from their hibernacula in winter and then dropped dead in piles on the ground. It’s not a vampire movie. Unlike Dracula, these bats didn’t turn to dust because they were out after sunrise. These were the first known victims of white-nosed syndrome in which a white fungus concentrates on hairless parts of bats – the nose, ears and wings. Researchers were caught off guard – why were these bats dying? Was the fungus killing them or was it a symptom of another disease? How was it spreading?

One year later, white-nosed syndrome spread to four more states. Will the disease continue to spread, eventually reaching Wisconsin? “We don’t know” says Dave Redell, bat ecologist with the Wisconsin DNR, “It certainly has the potential to spread quickly because bats can migrate or disperse hundreds of miles in a single season.”

According to Redell there are several factors that make this disease potentially devastating: 1) We already saw a large geographical expansion over a single year; 2) Mortality rates at affected caves approach 90%; and 3) bats have a low reproductive rate of 1 young per female per year, which means recovery would take a very long time.

So what can you do? There is certainly a need for research and monitoring, so you could support organizations looking into the problem. Or you could help scientists by monitoring bats in your own backyard, and you don’t need to have a Ph.D.

Through generous support from the Citizen-Based Monitoring Network of Wisconsin, the Center will receive a portable bat detector for use in our Citizen Science programming. With minimal training you will be able to walk through your neighborhood or a nearby park and the device will record the bats you come across. A frequency-lowering mechanism will allow you to “hear” bats in real-time and a GPS unit will allow you to easily produce a map of your journey, along with the location of bat sightings.

The more we learn about the current distribution, densities, habits and behavior of Wisconsin bats, the better we will be able to combat white-nosed syndrome if it does make it our way. Bats are an important part of any ecosystem, controlling insects and pests, pollinating, and dispersing the seeds of many plants, including peaches, avocados and cashews.

If you are interested in monitoring bats in your neighborhood, please contact Tim Vargo, Manager of Research and Citizen Science, (414) 964-8505, x116 or tvargo@urbanecologycenter.org.

Riverside Park: Hotel, Fire Escape or Convenience Store?

by Tim Vargo, Manager of Research and Citizen Science

Picture yourself alone on a cross-country road trip. It’s late. You’ve been driving for 20 hours. Coffee and music postponed sleep temporarily, but now you must rest. You eagerly seek a hotel, comforted by visions of a hot meal and a comfy bed. But you keep driving and driving with nothing in sight. Finally, you succumb and pull off to the side of the road where you spend a restless night trying to sleep in your car. You can’t get comfortable. Cars are whizzing by… Oh yeah, and you’re hungry, in a bad part of town and all you have to eat are Twinkies.

Now picture you’re an indigo bunting, a stunning blue bird that migrates under the cover of darkness to avoid predators. You started your journey weeks earlier in Mexico and now as the sun rises you find yourself exhausted and over Lake Michigan. You must find shelter along the coast to avoid the hungry hawks and gulls that prowl by day. You eagerly seek a forest, comforted by visions of juicy berries and dense foliage. But you keep flying and flying with nothing in sight. Finally, you succumb and land in a tree in someone’s backyard. You can’t get comfortable. The neighborhood cats are on the prowl.… Oh yeah, and you’re hungry and all you can find to eat are buckthorn and honeysuckle (the bird equivalent of Twinkies).

Anthropomorphizing aside, millions of birds face this situation during every migration. Dave Ewert, of the Nature Conservancy, stresses the importance of stopover sites along migration routes where birds can rest and replenish fat reserves. They are especially important along shores of the Great Lakes, because birds migrating over water must find land for rest and thus concentrate along coasts. He grouped stopover sites into 4-star hotels (large forests with ample food, water, & shelter), convenience stores (smaller forests where resources are available but patchy) and fire escapes (small, isolated forest patches with scarce resources that serve as an emergency backup if no other habitat is available).

So where does Riverside Park fit? We’re too small to be a Ritz-Carlton. Emergency fire escape? Not really. We’re situated along a migration corridor (the Milwaukee River) and have nourishing food thanks to our Burdock Brigade. 7-11 convenience store? Sure! This is a role we can embrace by providing service with a smile to the 155 bird species that have been found here. And remember, not all convenience stores are created equal. To attract customers, we should strive for cleanliness, convenience, safety & value – attributes that make the park attractive to wary birds.

How can you help? Next time you’re in the park, pick up some trash, or join the ranks of volunteers who perform weekly patrols. Or join the Burdock Brigade, and remove Twinkies (buckthorn, non-native honeysuckle) from the shelves in favor of healthy fruit (native dogwoods and cherries). Your customer service will be rewarded when you see a beautiful songbird who decided to pull off the road for a rest.

Save the date!

Birding
Chambers Island

Join the Center on Memorial Day Weekend, 2010 for a trip to picturesque Chambers Island, located 7 miles off the coast of the Door Peninsula in the Bay of Green Bay. Please call Tim Vargo x116 for information and to register. This trip is accessible for persons with disabilities.

Young Scientists
Club

Got cabin fever? Then come outside and join our educators for fun science, research and stewardship projects out in the park.

For everyone
Free - donations appreciated (Nonmembers - $5)

Washington Park
Tuesdays - Fridays starting January 5
4:30 - 7 p.m. &
Saturdays starting January 9 except January 30
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Washington Park
Every Monday
4 - 6 p.m.

Low Genetic
Variability in Galapagos Birds: Implications for Conservation

Genes play an important role in recognizing infections and initiating an immune response. Two Galapagos species, hawks and penguins, have lower genetic variability than closely related species on the mainland. These conditions will affect management strategies should new diseases be introduced to the islands.

Speaker: Jennifer Bolmer, PH.D., Post doc, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Riverside Park
Tuesday, January 12
7 - 8:30 p.m.
For adults
Free - donations appreciated (Nonmembers - $5)
Call to register, 964-8505

Family Owl Prowl

We will start inside the UEC with a story by the fire and owl activities. Then we will hike in Riverside Park and try to call some owls. End the night by warming up inside the Center with cocoa. It should be a hoot for the whole family! Please dress for the weather.

Riverside Park
Saturday, January 16
6 - 8 p.m.
For kids 4 & older accompanied by an adult
$4 or $12 for families of 4 or more (Nonmembers - $7 or $21 for families of 4 or more)
Call to register, 964-8505

Owl Prowl By Bus

Learn about local owls, then head out to local green spaces in our Urban Ecology Center buses to listen and look for owls. Dress warmly! We will stop frequently to listen.

Riverside Park
Wednesday, January 20
6 p.m.
For adults
$10 (Nonmembers - $15)
Call to register, 964-8505

Birding the Mississippi in Winter

Join us for a birding weekend with destinations in both northwestern Illinois and northeastern Iowa. We will see many, many Bald Eagles, other raptors (which could include Rough-legged and Red-shouldered Hawks), many winter passerines, some waterfowl, open-country birds such as Longspurs, Snow Buntings, Northern Shrike and the potential for a few owls and all woodpecker species.

Meet at Riverside Park
Friday, January 22 - Sunday January 24
For adults
Cost depends on occupancy ($200-$250)
Fee will include transportation, lodging and expert guides
Contact Tim Vargo at 964-8505, x116, for program fee and questions

Ornithology
Workshop

“The application of molecular genetic techniques has revolutionized our view of avian mating systems.” (Simon Griffith) Bird mating systems take on extremely varied and bizarre forms. Learn about this and other bird-related topics through a short presentation followed by a dusk walk. All interest levels welcome and binoculars provided.

Sundays, January 31 &
February 28
3 - 4:30 p.m.
For adults
$5 (Nonmembers - $10)
Free for regular birding volunteers
Call to register, 964-8505

Wisconsin Bat
Monitoring Program

Wisconsin volunteers are at the forefront of citizen-based monitoring of bats, following the lead of Great Britain. Redell will discuss bat projects in Wisconsin, current issues and threats, and how you can become a member of the Wisconsin Bat Crew.

Speaker: Dave Redell, Bat Ecologist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Endangered Resources

Tuesday, February 9
7 - 8:30 p.m.
For adults
Free - donations appreciated (Nonmembers - $5)
Call to register, 964-8505

Intergenerational
Citizen Science

There is always something to learn in Washington Park! Join the UEC Young Scientists in collecting and recording data.

Washington Park
Every Tuesday
5 - 7 p.m.
For everyone
Free