Volunteer Monitoring Coordination
In November 1998, the Estuary Partnership began a project to assess volunteer monitoring programs taking place in the lower Columbia River. The goal was to better understand the extent of existing monitoring programs and to determine what was needed to foster a more collaborative and coordinated approach to volunteer monitoring, with the ultimate goal being strategies to improve all groups ability to track trends and evaluate the effectiveness of protection, enhancement, and restoration efforts over time.
The report, “Volunteer Monitoring in the Columbia River Estuary,” (PDF) was completed in March 2000. It includes information and recommendations on:
Existing Monitoring Programs: The report identified six watershed councils, 32 school high schools, and a variety of other organizations (universities, fishermen, etc.) involved with some kind of monitoring activity. Most monitoring is water quality monitoring in Columbia River tributaries. Monitoring for habitat, wildlife, invasive species, or other ecosystem elements was generally lacking.
Data Use and Management: Volunteer gathered data is not always “officially” accepted. Unaccepted data frequently discourages volunteers from additional collection efforts. Efforts are underway to address this issue since. Many people recognize that volunteer collected data can be useful at filling data gaps.
Volunteer Opportunities: Volunteer opportunities are limited by the ability of government agencies to support volunteer projects and the ability of volunteer groups to sustain efforts over time. Short term projects are often more attractive than long term routine efforts, although this is situational and not always the case. Staff size, funding, expertise, and liability are all issues that frequently limit volunteer efforts.
Technical Support and Assistance: The report includes an extensive list of links and contacts for technical support and assistance and briefly describes various government programs that work with volunteers.
Example Programs: The report profiles several local volunteer monitoring efforts to provide examples of the type of work underway and the accomplishments being achieved.
The report included several recommendations that the Estuary Partnership has incorporated (and adapts) as part of its volunteer programs. They include:
Promote and facilitate networking with existing programs, provide technical and monetary support, and work to bridge the gap between the volunteer community and the scientific / agency community.
Maintain and update a volunteer monitoring website as one method of keeping all parties up to date and informed.
Provide a regional perspective to monitoring activities.
Promote consistent sampling and analysis protocols.
Coordinate training and equipment distribution.
Create or provide support for data storage, retrieval, and analysis.
Support at least a half-time volunteer coordinator.
