Last updated: December 29, 2023
Article
Community Science at the Seashore
Community Science Programs in Point Reyes National Seashore
Community science is a collaborative movement that makes scientific research more inclusive and democratic. In community science programs, anyone can collect scientific data for ongoing research projects. In this way, community members participate in research and contribute to better understandings of the species, habitats, and ecosystems that surround us.
Here at Point Reyes National Seashore, there are several community science programs focused on monitoring marine and coastal ecosystems. This StoryMap will:
- Introduce you to the Marine Protected Areas where these programs focus their work
- Guide you through four of these programs,
- Highlight a few accessible and equitable community science opportunities, and
- Introduce you to some of the amazing organizers and volunteers doing this important work.
You can skip ahead to sections of interest using the navigation bar at the top, or you can just keep scrolling. Each section concludes with the group's current volunteer recruitment status and a link to their website.
Audio clip transcripts
"It's just an amazing way to kind of have this community of people who care about the harbor seals, want to learn more about the harbor seals, and want to, you know, basically track their population over time."
"And it's a way for all these people to kind of work together, work with biologists like myself, or my predecessor, Dr. Sarah Allen, so they can learn from experts, but then they also in turn become experts themselves."
"And they learn sites really well, and you know, I can go to them and ask them questions, because they're the ones that are out there all the time. So it's this great collaboration where it benefits the park in tracking the harbor seals, but it's also a huge benefit for the volunteers to get out, do something new, you know, get away from their normal work lives, and have a purpose for coming out into the park."
"And it's a way for all these people to kind of work together, work with biologists like myself, or my predecessor, Dr. Sarah Allen, so they can learn from experts, but then they also in turn become experts themselves."
"And they learn sites really well, and you know, I can go to them and ask them questions, because they're the ones that are out there all the time. So it's this great collaboration where it benefits the park in tracking the harbor seals, but it's also a huge benefit for the volunteers to get out, do something new, you know, get away from their normal work lives, and have a purpose for coming out into the park."
"I just love coming out here. I love it all. I love the seals. I love the elk. I love all the other animals. I love the the different seasons and the changes and I love the ocean. It'll kind of change your perspective and especially after something like the pandemic, I think it would just help to rebuild the joy and our lives that we've missed."
"I'm looking for pups, and I see one small seal, but I think that's an immature, not quite yet a pup. A pup would be really small. And I'm looking over at this other seal that has a very dark black object next to it, but I don't think that's a pup. It's almost too black. But anyway, I am looking for pups too, but it's kind of early."
"Data can be really powerful and meaningful. And that's one of the reasons of MPA Watch, is it seems like I'm out on the beach and collecting data on this tally sheet. It's going to a database, and then what's going to happen with it? How's that going to be used? And so understanding that people can make a change and a significant change, and knowing how our public agencies work usually need data behind it."
"And so being able to build that visual story through data and storytelling and really communicate those impacts, you can get a response from your elected leadership and the different agencies that you're interacting with, they need some of that supporting information. And so it can take a while to build it up. And if you're watching it and you're paying attention to your data, you can see trends, and then you can think creatively within your community to figure out how you can turn the tide on that."
"And so being able to build that visual story through data and storytelling and really communicate those impacts, you can get a response from your elected leadership and the different agencies that you're interacting with, they need some of that supporting information. And so it can take a while to build it up. And if you're watching it and you're paying attention to your data, you can see trends, and then you can think creatively within your community to figure out how you can turn the tide on that."
"For this one, boy, it's an easy win because you can accomplish so many things at once. You are spending time out in nature. You are getting exercise. You are spending time with friends and family. Warning, you are going to fall in love with this place and over time they become part of you. So get out here. Do the MPA Watch. It's incredible. You will love it. Super simple volunteering."
"I think that you'll like it, especially if you're into nature and just the outdoors because it's a really gentle walk and it's really relaxing. And you can bring your family and chill out on the beach if you want to."
"I think that you'll like it, especially if you're into nature and just the outdoors because it's a really gentle walk and it's really relaxing. And you can bring your family and chill out on the beach if you want to."
"It engages the public and helps people learn about the area where they're contributing monitoring data to and basically supports or helps enable them to be stewards of the area, developing a closer relationship with those habitats where they're doing their work. And that's really important. And that also filters down to their community that they're involved with, and they tell their friends, hey, this is what I'm doing. And it's so awesome. ‘Guess what I saw today?’ And so it's really just spreading the word about environmental conservation and protection and at the same time gathering really useful and important data."
"It's, it's import is that the more people have bounds of empathy with the critters around them, with, with the creation around them. And the more we can engender that in people, the more we create a constituency that will support the kinds of policies we badly need to help us steer through the environmental maelstrom that we have entered. And so they might not ever come back here again."
"This might not have that much importance to them, the intertidal invertebrates, but it kind of sent triggering environmental endorphins in their heads that they'll carry with them when they go to vote, will affect their vote if they make contributions, will affect their contributions. When they have crazy Uncle Bob at Thanksgiving dinner, they'll speak up and say, you know, Bob, that's not quite, rather than just sitting there and just taking it, because we can't afford to just sit here and take it any longer. That's community action."
"This might not have that much importance to them, the intertidal invertebrates, but it kind of sent triggering environmental endorphins in their heads that they'll carry with them when they go to vote, will affect their vote if they make contributions, will affect their contributions. When they have crazy Uncle Bob at Thanksgiving dinner, they'll speak up and say, you know, Bob, that's not quite, rather than just sitting there and just taking it, because we can't afford to just sit here and take it any longer. That's community action."
“If you've ever seen an anemone come out underwater, you are seeing a cartoon unfold, and it's right here. There are creatures that you've seen washed up on the beach and assumed it's algae. When it's actually a hydroid, it's an animal. I mean, there's so much out here that I think is truly mind blowing.”
“And come out while we still have this diversity. And come out while we have this really cool network right now of people that are just present on the reef, just helping educate other people and sharing the stoke of nature.”
“And come out while we still have this diversity. And come out while we have this really cool network right now of people that are just present on the reef, just helping educate other people and sharing the stoke of nature.”
“I would say the passion and curiosity that is fostered in our case, a large community of people, we have 150 people collecting data, and they impact everyone that they touch. Not only are they bringing back really important information that's been used in more than four lawsuits in terms of damage assessment processes for oil spill restoration funds, but also just all of the contacts they make out in the field.”
“It's amazing when you carry a clipboard and data sheets and binoculars how everyone comes to you, what are you doing? What's going on? And they can then foster curiosity and passion in the people around them that they meet.”
“It's amazing when you carry a clipboard and data sheets and binoculars how everyone comes to you, what are you doing? What's going on? And they can then foster curiosity and passion in the people around them that they meet.”
“We saw two birds on the beach right next to the sand, and they were like, one was attacking the other one, and you never see that kind of thing. And we got closer, and one of them was a common murre, and you never see the common murre on the beach, but it had a bivalve stuck to its beak, and the other bird was a gull. And at the thing that was stuck to its beak, it was trying to eat it. It was crazy.“
“And so we chased the gull away, and the murre was sitting there, and its head was just hanging down. It was exhausted. Martha works at International Bird Rescue also, so she knows how to kind of rescue birds. So we got the bird, and we took the thing off of it, and we released it, and the bird went just, like, went running down the beach and into the water. And then it just stopped, and it turned around, and it just looked at us for, like, a few beats, and then it flew off. It was so cool. It was just like this interaction with this animal that you would never, ever have.”
“And so we chased the gull away, and the murre was sitting there, and its head was just hanging down. It was exhausted. Martha works at International Bird Rescue also, so she knows how to kind of rescue birds. So we got the bird, and we took the thing off of it, and we released it, and the bird went just, like, went running down the beach and into the water. And then it just stopped, and it turned around, and it just looked at us for, like, a few beats, and then it flew off. It was so cool. It was just like this interaction with this animal that you would never, ever have.”