Conservation on Tap – Thursday, January 16th
Join us on Thursday, January 16th from 5:30pm – 7:00pm at Barriques Café – West Wash in Madison, WI
January’s Conservation On Tap is hosted at Barriques Café – West Wash in Madison! Our speaker is Nancy Sheehan, Citizen Science Coordinator for the Journey North project at the UW-Arboretum. Nancy will be sharing about the Journey North citizen science program. This program engages an international audience in tracking wildlife migrations and seasonal changes.
About Journey North:
Journey North is a citizen science program that engages an international audience in tracking wildlife migrations and seasonal changes. Launched at the dawn of the internet in 1993, Journey North has expanded to include over 20 interactive maps that depict migration happening in real time. For example, in the spring, you can watch these maps to experience the journey of monarchs as they migrate from their overwintering sites in Mexico to breeding territory in the U.S. and Canada. In the fall, watch monarchs and other species such as Ruby-throated hummingbirds migrate south. Today, Journey North has a roster of 33,000 members who contribute over 50,000 observations each year. Migration updates shared via blog posts, email notifications, and social media channels help to foster excitement and participation across the North American continent – from Canada and the United States to Mexico. Journey North also offers a wide selection of inquiry-based educational materials as well as projects designed for youth participation. This citizen-generated data enhances scientific understanding of migratory species – their migration routes and habitat needs. Ultimately, collaborative efforts like Journey North that involves both scientists and citizen scientists contribute to climate change research.
About Nancy Seehan:
Nancy joined the Arboretum in fall 2018 after managing the Rock River Coalition volunteer stream monitoring program for seven years. Nancy is passionate about citizen science. She earned a master’s degree in environmental management from Yale University. She also served in the Peace Corps in West Africa and, after working in the field of international development, moved to Madison to pursue further graduate studies at the UW–Madison Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies. Nancy lives in a Lake Wingra neighborhood. She has many cherished memories of visiting natural springs, listening to sandhill cranes, and cross-country skiing in the Arboretum.
Wisconsin Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology 