Beaver Creek - Connecting People With Nature

HISTORY OF THE SCIENCE CENTER

Since the early 1990s, the Beaver Creek Reserve Citizen Science Center has been involving the community in scientific studies for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. From studying the habitat of different black bears to monitoring water quality, the center has provided valuable data to help scientists learn more about our natural world.

WHAT IS
CITIZEN SCIENCE?

Citizen Science refers to citizens conducting research that contributes to a varierty of things from understanding of animal distributions to providing data for determining the water quality of our lakes and streams.

Why do Citizen Science?
Wisconsin has more species of organisms and more acres of property than professional scientists can study and monitor with their limited resources. Citizen Scientists can fill in the gaps by learning basic scientific techniques to assist with scientific studies.

Who does the Citizen Science Center Serve?
We train people of all ages and abilities to conduct citizen science. We also hire student interns every summer who receive valuable career training for biology and natural resource related careers. Citizen Science invites all interested people to learn and participate in scientific research. The Wildlands Science Research School, a partnership between BCR and the Augusta School District, is based at the Citizen Science Center.

OUR RESEARCH PROJECTS

[ 2012 Maps Survey ]

[ 2011 Grassland Bird Report ]

[ 2011 Maps Summary ]

[ 2010 Solitary Bee Report ]

[ American Kestrel Project Data ]

[ Lake Wissota Aquatic Plants Comparison ]

[ Dog Island Bio Blitz ]

[ Lake Wissota Invertebrate Report ]

[ Eau Claire County Bioblitz ]

[ Five- County AIS - Part 1 ]

Help with Scientific Research

Take part in scientific research. The Citizen Science Center unites community members, teachers, and students with environmental professionals and university researchers.

We train people of all ages and abilities to conduct scientific research. Some projects can be done in your own backyard, while others require traveling to specific locations.

Some of the projects Citizen Scientists are working on include:

Wisconsin Nature Mapping*
Monitor Wisconsin's wildlife such as frogs, toads, salamanders, birds, and mammals.
[ Learn more about the Wisconsin Nature Mapping program. ]

Bird Banding
Assist with one of the serveral long-term bird banding efforts being conducted by the Reserve. Banding stations include weekly songbird banding, and MAPS project, and saw-whet owl banding.
[ Learn more about the MAPS program. ]
[ Read the MAPS research results. ]

American Kestrel Research Project
In 2002, a Kestrel Nest Box Monitoring Program began at Beaver Creek Reserve. The nest box monitoring is done from March through July each year.
View research from the Kestrel Project.

Stream Monitoring: Level 1 and Level 2 *
Learn how to monitor streams for temperature, dissolved oxygen, aquatic macroinvertebrates, water clarity, and stream flow and also how to conduct a habitat assessment. Then monitor a stream of your choice once a month from May through September.
[ Learn more about the Stream Monitoring program. ]

Acoustic Bat Monitoring
Learn how to use an AnaBat detector attached to a PDA with GPS to record bat calls. Volunteers checkout the detector and survey a specific area for three days, two hours a day, during three different months of the year.
[ Learn more about the Wisconsin Bat Monitoring program. ]

Bluebird Restoration
Help encourage the public to help our songbirds by providing ideal habitat and most importantly, teaching the positive impact that monitoring provides.
[ Learn more about the Bluebird Restoration program. ]

Clean Boats, Clean Waters*
Help with monitoring lakes for the statewide Clean Boats, Clean Waters watercraft inspection program in St. Croix, Dunn, Eau Claire, and Chippewa counties.
[ Learn more about the Clean Boats, Clean Waters program. ]

* Statewide program through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources