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2013 Spring | Natural Science & Restoration

Citizen Scientists Playing their Part in Puget Sound Habitat Restoration

Student(s):

Sam DeLiso

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Joleen Palmer

Partner(s):

  • University of Washington

Faculty advisor(s):

Kristi Straus, Program on the Environment, University of Washington

While working with a group of volunteer citizen scientists, my project consisted of data collection and analyses that were used to document and quantify the changes in Carpenter Creek-Estuary following restoration in 2011. After several months of collecting raw data on stream- estuary water quality, sediment composition, and fish species’ diversity and abundance, I delivered a series of final products graphically/visually depicting the observed changes in stream-estuarine habitat and the potential impact on local salmonids. Additionally, I evaluated the contributions of citizen science to the post-restoration monitoring effort and the benefits of such programs to environmental restoration in general.