Skip to main content Skip to footer unit links
← Back to all capstone projects
2014 Autumn | Education & Outreach, Natural Science & Restoration

Encouraging Volunteers to Catch the Monitoring Bug

Student(s):

Rachel Taylor

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Joleen Palmer

Partner(s):

  • Stillwaters Environmental Center

Faculty advisor(s):

Jason Toft, Principle Research Scientist, Wetland Ecosystem Team, UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

I worked with the Stillwaters Environmental Center to develop a macroinvertebrate monitoring program to allow their volunteers to identify the biological community that lives in Carpenter Creek in Kingston, WA. I developed a sampling protocol and macroinvertebrate identification guide suitable for volunteer use and instructed volunteers in the collection of samples and the identification of the organisms found in them. As repeat volunteers are critical to the success of these programs, so I also conducted literary research for ways to improve volunteer retention for macroinvertebrate sampling programs in order to produce more accurate data.