Citizen Science Presentation

Mary Ellen Hannibal conducting coastal citizen science.

Thursday, July 29, is Oregon Shores’ actual anniversary date, and we’re sponsoring celebratory activities throughout the day.

The final speaker of the event is one of special note to CoastWatchers and all others interested in citizen science and monitoring the coast’s environmental health.  At 7 p.m., Mary Ellen Hannibal will address “The Future Role of Citizen Science in Coastal Conservation.” 

Hannibal is the author of Citizen Scientist:  Searching for Heroes and Hope in an Age of Extinction.  Oregon Shores Executive Director Phillip Johnson calls this “the book that in my lifetime I have most often recommended to others.”  The book brings a new perspective to the history of science, surveys the wide range of citizen science practice, and points the way toward finding courage and purpose in responding to looming environmental disasters. 

Mary Ellen Hannibal is the author of such previous works on natural history and conservation as The Spine of the Continent and Evidence of Evolution.  She will discuss the essential role of popular engagement with monitoring the natural world and providing data to scientists if we are to conserve ecosystems in the face of climate change and species extinction.

For more information about Oregon Shores’ work on citizen science through our CoastWatch program, contact Jesse Jones, CoastWatch volunteer coordinator, (503) 989-7244, jesse@oregonshores.org.

A single registration covers the entire anniversary day; audience members may join in whenever they wish.  To register, go here.