A Pathway for Citizen Science Data to Inform Policy: A Case Study Using eBird Data for Defining Low-Risk Collision Areas for Wind Energy Development

Authors

• Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez, Cornell UniversityFollow
• Emily R. Bjerre, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Mark C. Otto, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Guthrie S. Zimmerman, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Brian A. Millsap, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Daniel Fink, Cornell University
• Erica F. Stuber, Utah State UniversityFollow
• Matthew Strimas-Mackey, Cornell University
• Orin J. Robinson, Cornell University

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Applied Ecology

Author ORCID Identifier

Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7116-1168

Emily R. Bjerre https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2714-7339

Mark C. Otto https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0552-7771

Guthrie S. Zimmerman https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0965-2123

Brian A. Millsap https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3969-249X

Daniel Fink https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8368-1248

Erica F. Stuber https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2687-6874

Matthew Strimas-Mackey https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8929-7776

Orin J. Robinson https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8935-1242

Volume

58

Issue

6

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Publication Date

3-14-2021

First Page

1104

Last Page

1111

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

1. The research and conservation community has successfully harnessed the wealth of ecological knowledge found in unprecedented volumes of citizen science (CS) data world-wide. However, few examples exist of the use of CS data to directly inform policy.

2. Current examples of applications of CS data mainly stem from programs that are restricted in scope (e.g. defined protocols, restricted sampling time frame), and the potential use of unrestricted CS data to inform policy remains largely untapped.

3. Here, we make a call for moving beyond questioning the reliability of CS data and present a case study of how the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) used information from an unrestricted CS program (eBird) to inform levels of exposure to collision risk for wind energy development.

4. Policy implications. The USFWS made the technical recommendation to use eBird abundance estimates for the bald eagle as the only source of information to define low-risk collision areas as part of the agency's wind energy permitting process. Our study contributes a clear pathway of how to realize the potential of unrestricted CS programs for generating the evidence base needed to inform policy decisions.

Recommended Citation

Ruiz-Gutierrez V, Bjerre ER, Otto MC, et al. A pathway for citizen science data to inform policy: A case study using eBird data for defining low-risk collision areas for wind energy development. J Appl Ecol. 2021;58:1104–1111. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13870