Jake F. Weltzin US Geological Survey Alyssa Rosemartin University of Arizona The USA National Phenology Network A Practical Tool for Conservation and Education in the Face of Climate Change

Outline Introduction to USA-NPN Core functions Web-based tools and services Phenology monitoring methods Nature's Notebook Field adventure! Break-out groups –Research –Management and decision-support –Education and outreach

“Phenology…is perhaps the simplest process in which to track changes in the ecology of species in response to climate change.” (IPCC 2007)

Easy to observe Sensitive to environmental variation Scales from 'leaf to globe' Linked to most aspects of ecosystems

A new data resource—a national network of integrated phenological observations across space and time Key Goal Understand how plants, animals and landscapes respond to environmental variation and climate change

Key sponsors and collaborators… The Great Sunflower Project

A national biological science and monitoring program Agencies, NGOs, academia, the public Standard protocols for plants, animals & landscapes Facilitate scaling from 'leaf to globe' Integrate with other monitoring networks Business to Business and Business to Customer USA-NPN in a nutshell

Outline Introduction to USA-NPN Core functions Web-based tools and services Phenology monitoring methods Nature's Notebook Field adventure! Break-out groups –Research –Management and decision-support –Education and outreach

Develop a national phenology information management system Develop partnerships for implementation Facilitate phenology science and research Facilitate development of decision support tools Conduct and facilitate education and outreach Develop a national phenology monitoring system Core functions

Information management Decision- support Research Education Search Synthesis Visualizations Work platform Datasets Products NCO Information Management System Data Contemp- orary Legacy Partners Ancillary Data curation User interface Databases National Phenology Network Metadata

Native American Tribes Scientists Specialized Networks Specialized Networks Public Agencies Public Agencies NGOs Educators Citizen Scientists Citizen Scientists National Coordinating Office Information Management Monitoring Programs Communications Resource Managers Partnerships and services

Science and Research Willis et al PNAS Moller et al PNAS Willis et al PLOS Biology Hulme 2010 New Phyt. Change in phenology Populations & Distributions 0 + Increasing Decreasing Predicting vulnerability, invasions and distributions

Science Predictive services Health Resource mgmt Conservation Agriculture Ecosystem services Recreation Applications and decision-support tools

Education and outreach for K-Gray Steve Ringman, The Seattle Times Ross Franklin, AP

Outline Introduction to USA-NPN Core functions Web-based tools and services Phenology monitoring methods Nature's Notebook Field adventure! Break-out groups –Research –Management and decision-support –Education and outreach

A national phenology monitoring system

Real time data available soon

Data set registry tool

Phenology dataset search tool

Educator’s Clearinghouse

Phenology publications

Partnership tool

Training resources

Learn about other phenology programs

Outline Introduction to USA-NPN Core functions Web-based tools and services Phenology monitoring methods Nature's Notebook Field adventure! Break-out groups –Research –Management and decision-support –Education and outreach

Event ActivityReproductionDevelopment Day of year Phenology Monitoring Methods Status & Abundance Status

Event –When did you hear the first frog call? (date) Status –Do you hear a frog calling? (Y N ?) Status & Abundance –Do you hear a frog calling? (Y N ?) –If Y, are they –Non-overlapping calls? –Overlapping with distinguishable individuals? –A full chorus—constant, overlapping calls? Alternate Monitoring Methods e.g., frog-calling

Event Day of year Event vs Status Monitoring e.g., frog calling Y Status NNNN??NNNYNNNYYYYYNN

Outline Introduction to USA-NPN Core functions Web-based tools and services Phenology monitoring methods Nature's Notebook Field adventure! Break-out groups –Research –Management and decision-support –Education and outreach

253+ plant species 58+ animal species Core status monitoring protocols Species on demand Abundance reporting User profiles a project of the USA-NPN

Cumulative Participants across the nation

Data reporting in 2010 similar to K participants; website: 67K visitors, 100K visits, 500K pageviews

2010

Identify & Register a Site Select Plants & Animals –Animal Checklist –Register Individual Plants Make Observations in the Field Submit Observations Online a project of the USA-NPN

A site is: The area within which you’ll look for your animal species The area which encompasses any plants you plan to observe 37 a project of the USA-NPN

Convenience Representative location Uniform habitat Appropriate size Proper permission Site Selection Guidelines 38 a project of the USA-NPN

Overview Identify & Register a Site Select Plants & Animals –Animal Checklist –Register Individual Plants Make Observations in the Field Submit Observations

41 Animals: create a checklist for your site, look and listen for all species each time you visit Plants: repeat observations of the same individual plants a project of the USA-NPN

42 a project of the USA-NPN

Identify & Register a Site Select Plants & Animals –Create Animal Checklist –Register Individual Plants Make Observations in the Field Submit Observations a project of the USA-NPN

46 Compare phenophases to what you observe. a project of the USA-NPN

Yes (Y) – if the phenophase is occurring No (N) – if the phenophase is not occurring Unknown (?) – if you did not or forgot to look for signs of this phenophase or not certain you heard or saw that animal species 47 a project of the USA-NPN

An example: Site: your front yard Species on your animal checklist: –American robin –Black-capped chickadee –Bumblebee Plants registered: –One individual mayapple plant 48 a project of the USA-NPN

On your site visit, you stand in one place and observe: A bumblebee visiting flowers One robin perched and singing You also make observations of your mayapple plant 49

50 5/5/10 Robin Black-capped chickadee Bumblebee

51 American robin My front yard 5/5/

52 Bumblebee My front yard 5/5/

53 a project of the USA-NPN

54 Mayapple Mayapple-front yard 5/5/10

55 Mayapple Mayapple-front yard 5/5/10

56

Walking a single line through site Stationary at a single point Area search: multiple passes through site 57 Observing animals

58 My front yard2010USA-NPN Fan 4/1/104/3/104/9/104/11/104/15/

Identify & Register a Site Select Plants & Animals –Animal Checklist –Register Individual Plants Make Observations in the Field Submit Observations Online a project of the USA-NPN

Outline Introduction to USA-NPN Core functions Web-based tools and services Phenology monitoring methods Nature's Notebook Field adventure! Break-out groups –Research –Management and decision-support –Education and outreach

Outline Introduction to USA-NPN Core functions Web-based tools and services Phenology monitoring methods Nature's Notebook Field adventure! Break-out groups –Research –Management and decision-support –Education and outreach

Extra slides below here.

Standardized, vetted, transparent definitions Species descriptions & profiles Clear data entry interface Absence data + sampling intensity, method, effort Site, organism and observation level metadata Training materials and user support Quality Assurance