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Northern CA PPSR Projects 1

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Welcome to our ongoing effort to catalog citizen science and other public participation in scientific research (PPSR) projects for UC California Naturalists and other citizen scientists.  We invite you to browse the listed projects or enter key words (like birds, youth, invasive, coast, Alameda, etc.) in the search box above to find projects in your area. It's a great way to stay involved and keep developing your skills as a natural scientist!

A vast majority of the information in the database was gathered from project websites and may be out of date. We encourage you to contact projects directly to get involved and learn about most recent opportunities. If you work with a listed project and would like to add to, update, or correct the information we have, please email cghdixon@ucdavis.edu. Also, please consider filling out the "PPSR perspectives" survey. Click here to access the survey, which will help guide this project in the coming year.

If you know of a project not on our list, please go to the "tell us about a project" link on the left so we can list the project here. Thanks for your help!

Special thanks goes to the National Science Foundation Informal Science Education program and the Stephen J. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation for supporting this database of projects.

MPA Watch - Heal the Bay

  • Organization Name
    Heal the Bay
  • Project Website
  • Organization Website
  • Partners
    Santa Monica Pier Aquarium
  • Contact Name
    Dana Murray, Staff Scientist
  • Contact Email
    N / A
  • Contact Phone
    N / A
  • Other Contact Information
  • Project Purpose (taken from project materials)

    Collect unbiased data on coastal and marine resource use, which will provide important information to understand how people are using the newly established marine protected areas (MPAs), and to help inform MPA management.

  • Participant Activities

    Volunteers walk along beaches in Malibu and Palos Verdes surveying ocean users, volunteers combine their love of the beach and ocean while collecting valuable scientific data;

  • Data Entry
    • Unknown
  • Other Participant Activities
    N / A
  • System Studied
    • Intertidal zone
    • Other (see Notes)
  • Geographic Scope
    Local
  • Region
    Los Angeles
  • Location
    Marine Protected Areas in Malibu and Palos Verdes
  • Location - Map
    1444 9th Street Santa Monica, CA 90401
  • Time Commitment
    • Other (see Other Information below)
  • Volunteer Qualifications
    N / A
  • Volunteer Training

    Volunteer trainings in the class and field teach volunteers to observe and collect unbiased data on MPA use.

  • Cost to Participant
    N / A
  • How will the findings be used?
    N / A
  • Other Information

    "Other local citizen science groups and scientists have been collecting biological scientific data on Malibu’s rocky reefs and marine life for years. However, we identified the data gap of monitoring how people are using the resources and started the MPA Watch program. We also saw this program as a great way for people who would like to help monitor MPAs, but can’t dive, to get involved."

  • Photo
    N / A
  • last update:
    N / A

If you work with this project and would like to add to or update the information below, please email cghdixon@ucdavis.edu.

If you know of a project not on our list, please go to the "tell us about a project" link on the left so we can list the project here. Thanks for your help!

This database is focused on projects in California focused on the environment. For opportunities outside California, as well as national projects that don't have a California-specific components, check http://www.birds.cornell.edu/citscitoolkit/projects.