These are the slides associated with this Video Recording, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO-20YFvxgY , of a Webinar on April 26, 2021
Abstract: We are in the sixth mass extinction event of the planet, this one caused by one species. For instance, about half of Earth’s wild animals have been lost since 1970, and the trend continues. There are many strategies to halting this biodiversity crisis, including engaged conservation planning and management. A key component of this is community science and stewardship. This empowers the people of a place to participate more in determining its fate. All of this and more will be defined in the introduction to the webinar. Then the Santa Barbara County Conservation Blueprint, an instance of this approach, will be introduced, as well as its aspects that can be applied anywhere, such as online data mapping and sharing via databasin.org. Then we will get into one of the many exciting flagship partnerships: the Community Science Fire Resilience Project with Santa Barbara Botanic Garden (SBBG) and Conservation Biology Institute. Community scientists and experts are mapping the locations of mudslide risk, invasive plants, rare plants, trail conditions and more for the fire scars of the Thomas and Whittier Fires. All the SBBG Volunteer positions for this project are full, so tonight we unveil a second and more casual approach for you to engage in gathering important information for this project. All you will need is a smartphone and the desire to go for a hike! If you live too far away, the technique, based on iNaturalist, can be applied to your local challenges.
Abstract: We are in the sixth mass extinction event of the planet, this one caused by one species. For instance, about half of Earth’s wild animals have been lost since 1970, and the trend continues. There are many strategies to halting this biodiversity crisis, including engaged conservation planning and management. A key component of this is community science and stewardship. This empowers the people of a place to participate more in determining its fate. All of this and more will be defined in the introduction to the webinar. Then the Santa Barbara County Conservation Blueprint, an instance of this approach, will be introduced, as well as its aspects that can be applied anywhere, such as online data mapping and sharing via databasin.org. Then we will get into one of the many exciting flagship partnerships: the Community Science Fire Resilience Project with Santa Barbara Botanic Garden (SBBG) and Conservation Biology Institute. Community scientists and experts are mapping the locations of mudslide risk, invasive plants, rare plants, trail conditions and more for the fire scars of the Thomas and Whittier Fires. All the SBBG Volunteer positions for this project are full, so tonight we unveil a second and more casual approach for you to engage in gathering important information for this project. All you will need is a smartphone and the desire to go for a hike! If you live too far away, the technique, based on iNaturalist, can be applied to your local challenges.