Sharing the Story of River Otter Ecology Project in Advancing Community Science and River Otter Protection
Research Location:
Implemented: Marin County, California; Headquartered: San Francisco, CA
Conservation Partner:
River Otter Ecology Project
Student Researcher
Kelsey Wright '22
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Robert RoseProject Description
Community science has been shown to be an effective tool for expanding data collection and monitoring needed to understand and guide conservation and for engaging and inspiring communities in conservation action. The River Otter Ecology Project, led by W&M alums Megan Isadore and Terence Carroll, aims to advance community-led conservation of river otters across California through community science and conservation education initiatives.
As part of their efforts to engage volunteers and to celebrate the impact community science is having on river otter and watershed conservation, Kelsey developed a Storymap designed to share the stories and impacts of the program. The Storymap has been used by ROEP to communicate their efforts to new and current volunteers and to share the success of their community monitoring efforts to advance conservation of otters and their watershed ecosystems.
