Wilderness Institute Citizen Science Program

The Wilderness Institute’s Citizen Science Program builds on a growing movement that engages citizen volunteers in monitoring the ecological and social aspects of our wildlands. To date, there is no comprehensive baseline data that can be used as a point of reference for assessing ecological, physical, and social trends for Montana’s Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs). This reflects both limited resour

ces allocated to land management agencies for this purpose, as well as the absence of standardized procedures for quantifying wilderness character. The Wilderness Institute's Citizen Science Program has helped to remedy these deficiencies by spear-heading the collaborative development of protocols for monitoring selected elements of wilderness character that our field leaders then implement with the help of citizen volunteers. Of equal importance, this program also provides an opportunity to broaden citizen engagement in wilderness stewardship. Engaging volunteers in data collection builds community capacity for future monitoring and restoration work, improves local knowledge of National Forest stewardship, nurtures relationships between communities and the Forest Service, and elevates the public dialogue about forest management.