This program has been extremely successful, attracting over 400 different participants to collect data for the park on common loons, pikas, mountain goats and weeds. The citizen scientists have logged thousands of hours in the field each summer, collecting far more data than can be gathered by park staff alone. Jami Belt has completed a master’s thesis evaluating the quality of the citizen science data. The results indicate that there is no statistical difference between the population estimates from the citizen scientists’ data versus the biologists’ data. While citizen scientists sometimes miss goats that biologists can spot, they are in the field far more frequently. It turns out the best way to get an accurate assessment of the population of goats in an area is by frequent visits. On any given day, no goats or only a few goats might be detectable in the view shed. More frequent visits increase the probability that the observers will detect a higher number of goats. Additionally, a comparison between the pika data collected by the citizen scientists and the pika research team led by Lucas Moyer-Horner indicated that citizen scientists contribute reliable information about pika presence/absence. The data collected by the citizen scientists has been highly valuable to the park in planning further research and management of the species of concern.

Not only has citizen science proven to provide good quality data for park management decision making, it is also an excellent education and outreach tool. In addition to these trained citizen scientists, presentations on the citizen science program are delivered to several hundred people each year and the program has been highlighted in numerous media publications. Individuals who have been exposed to these publications and programs have expressed enthusiasm for conservation of sensitive park resources.

This program is currently running three established projects, 1) Citizen Science for Common Loons, 2) High Country Citizen Science: Monitoring mountain goats and pikas, and 3) Mapping Invasive Plants in Glacier’s Backcountry. Each of these projects was initiated separately and run for two years with full funding for a six-month coordinator. Now that these programs are fully developed and well-established, all three projects can be directed by one full-time seasonal coordinator with one intern for each project. However, all of the projects objectives were not accomplished within the six-month time period. The cost of maintaining these projects is roughly $30,000/year – which includes a seasonal coordinator, a summer rental vehicle, housing for unpaid interns, equipment and transportation costs. The park would like to continue this very popular program at this level. With a longer work season for the coordinator, the value of the Citizen Science Program can be enhanced without overstretching the Fund’s capacity to support this important work.

Glacier National Park would like to expand the capacity of the Citizen Science Program to reflect the exponential growth of the program since 2006. By employing a coordinator for nine months, 1) the park will have the additional time needed to add a high school outreach component, 2) to develop on-line training and reporting tools for the weed eradication program and 3) to develop an up-to-date format for posting data online. They would also like to expand the breadth of species they are currently monitoring by developing a citizen science invertebrate/aquatic survey program. Additional funding for this program will also enable improvement of the internship program.