Cross-posted from the UBC Botanical Garden’s Sustainability Blog
UBC biology student Alex Wong shares his insights from working with the citizen science project, the Butterflyway Project, and the importance of citizen science in nurturing people’s love for nature and involvement in conservation.
In late 2020, a collaborative effort between UBC Botanical Garden, the David Suzuki Foundation (DSF), Dr. Michelle Tseng, Assistant Professor of Botany at UBC, and local butterfly enthusiasts dedicated their time to construct a citizen science framework for the DSF’s Butterflyway Project.
Our weekly Wednesday night meetings were spent developing and preparing a plan for the 2021 butterfly season. Ultimately, the team split in half, and two goals for the season were laid out: 1) launch transects across the lower mainland with the help of Butterflyway Rangers, and 2) host a bioblitz for schools across BC that joined the Butterflyway Project in 2020.
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