If you are interested in getting your organization involved with scientific research, we are enthusiastic about collaborating with community groups to address questions about mammal distributions around Massachusetts to implement conservation strategies. Below, we will outline a few of our larger goals for collaborations, but we are excited to hear your suggestions and work with you to develop a framework that fits best with your goals. Please contact us at citscima@amherst.edu if you would like to get involved and/or have any questions, concerns, or ideas. We look forward to hearing from you!

Photo by Sarah Nelson

What the collaboration might look like

Our goal for collaboration with community groups is to implement conservation strategies by getting citizens actively involved throughout multiple steps of the scientific process. Group members will have the opportunity to work closely with our team to formulate a unique question of interest related to mammal distributions. This can be a project of particular relevance to your organization. For example, we might be interested in studying the mammal behavior in the interface between urban and wildlife areas.

Using our experience with fieldwork, we can work closely with you to develop a plan for data collection in the field. This may look like an extension of our existing program, where volunteers set up trail cameras in areas of interest or plan hikes where participants can report any sightings of mammals. Using statistical techniques, we will draw conclusions from data collected from your observations. Finally, we can work with you to implement conservation strategies that directly address our research!

We hope that this will be a unique opportunity for connection between the scientific community and local community groups. Your contributions will allow for the collection of much more data in a much shorter time frame than would otherwise be possible. By participating in novel research, your group can get involved with conservation management in a way that is uniquely tailored and responsive to your local area.