Connecting people to nature through citizen science is an important first step in empowering local members to protect the region’s ecology. During Canada History Week this November, WildResearch, a volunteer-run organization in British Columbia, wants the public to engage with the nature around them.

“Getting people involved in science, research, and conservation – particularly people without a scientific background – helps us build a community of people who value science and research,” says Vinci Au, president of the organization’s board of directors.

WildResearch honours the cultural heritage of Indigenous communities through fostering a deeper respect for the history and natural dynamics of the spaces they work to protect.

Building relationships

Based in Vancouver, WildResearch offers citizen science programs and field study experiences to a diverse group of over 250 volunteers, including many early career biologists.

“Our mission at WildResearch is to build, train, and educate a community that contributes to conservation science,” says vice-president Kiirsti Owen.

Led by a group of dedicated professional biologists conducting long-term and large-scale field research, WildResearch provides young biologists, mostly graduate students, with practical research skills and career connections.

“This kind of field learning doesn’t come around quite frequently, and these kinds of skills are hard to gain,” explains Au. “You don’t get them in class.”

WildResearch’s board of directors – working to break down barriers and ensure equal opportunities for all – has always embraced diversity: varying backgrounds, identities, ages, and other underrepresented minorities. Au points out that the gender demographics at WildResearch has been “predominately women” and the organization works to build connections with Indigenous communities.

“Building relationships takes time, especially for those who have not worked with Indigenous groups before,” she adds.

Inspired by movements like Black Birders Week, WildResearch is making birding more accessible to all through its British Columbia Marsh Monitoring Program (BCMPP). The program, which focuses on preserving marsh birds and amphibians, connects with Indigenous groups – a chance to promote inclusivity in conservation communities – to foster partnerships and seek permission for research on traditional lands.

“As the survey regions expand, the leaders in each of those regions have attempted to reach out to Indigenous groups: to either partner with them, or to get approval from them to be on their land,” explains Au.

Engaging the public

Incorporating the principles of citizen science, WildResearch is not only advancing conservation efforts but also working to create a welcoming, equitable community for all nature enthusiasts.

“Through citizen or community science, we’re making conservation science accessible to almost anyone and I think that’s amazing,” says Owen.

Au recalls a birdwatching experience at Terra Nova in Richmond: beyond the scientific of the land is the lost culture and history. “Terra Nova” was a name given by settlers, but the area’s traditional name from the Musqueam people is Spul’u’kwuks, which means “bubbling river.” The name refers to natural gas bubbles rising from beneath the river’s surface – an element of the landscape Indigenous knowledge has preserved over generations.

“Incorporating these historical and cultural tidbits into our walks is important to us,” Au says, noting how there is much to learn from Indigenous peoples. “It anchors us in place and time, and helps us recognize that we were not the first here.”

As WildResearch looks to the future, Au envisions continued public engagement– where motivated individuals rally together to advocate for strong governmental policies to protect nature.

Recently, WildResearch published a paper based on all volunteer gathered data in collaboration with Environment Canada. Au underscores the capacity of volunteers to move beyond gathering data and push forward rational conservation decisions that leave a lasting impact.

“Now, right after we publish this paper, the Vancouver wastewater treatment plant is about to receive an upgrade, and we are right on that property,” Au says. “So, they’re going to do ecological restoration, but also a giant infrastructure project; [and] we will monitor it for 10 years.”

WildResearch, which was established in 2010 by a group of six biologists and graduate students from Simon Fraser University, sees community as the key to conservation science.

For more information, see www.wildresearch.ca