Evaluating the contribution of citizen participation in research to understand wildlife movement across Highway 3 in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta.

摘要

This study explores the contribution of citizen participation in research to understand wildlife movement across Highway 3, a major transportation corridor through the Canadian Rocky Mountains. To mitigate wildlife and transportation issues, decision makers require information on wildlife movement patterns. Two methods are presented to acquire information through citizen involvement, a community based monitoring project [facilitated by Web-based interface], Road Watch in the Pass, and a series of personal interviews. Each method is assessed for its ability to engage citizens in the research process and generate information on wildlife movement. Spatial analyses from the resulting datasets demonstrate unique insights to wildlife movement, emphasizing the contribution of citizen data. Although both methods successfully engaged citizens in the research process, Road Watch demonstrated greater potential for fostering a learning environment by providing more opportunities for citizens to participate in the research process and by creating an environment for dialogue to occur.