Back

Citizen Scientist Effort in Connecticut Funded by Restoration Program

Date Posted: January 13, 2012

Some Connecticut communities are taking action to protect their outdoors with the help of Audubon and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

By volunteering as citizen scientists, they're helping put little-known, yet vital wildlife areas on the map. Known as vernal pools, these temporary bodies of water are home to many different animals and plants seeking food and a predator-free place to breed and rest.

Problem is, these pools don't always appear on wetlands maps, which influence where projects are placed. The loss of vernal pools would be like losing a link in the wildlife web--from the species that need the pools to breed to the rare animals that return to the same pools every year and those that depend on vernal pool wildlife as a food source. The information gathered by these citizen scientists will help protect vernal pools when projects are planned.

Connecticut Audubon leads the citizen science crew with financial support from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program. The federal program, led by trustees including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, secured funds in a settlement for more than 20 years of chemicals contaminating the nearby Quinebaug River and wetlands. A portion of the funds went to funding the citizen science crew, empowering residents to protect their wetlands in the future.

Contacts:

Molly_Sperduto@fws.gov

Links:

New England Fish and Wildlife Service Office, Environmental Contaminants Program - Yaworski NRDAR Restoration Project

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - YouTube Channel