About fifty Oregon Season Tracker citizen scientists, teachers, OSU Extension personnel, and researchers gathered at the Andrews Forest to exchange ideas and inspiration at the Oregon Season Tracker (OST) retreat in mid-August 2018.
Oregon Season Tracker is a project of Oregon State University that aims to link natural resource managers, educators, researchers and others in the community to the science they use through collaborative citizen science. Oregon Season Tracker is a joint program of OSU Extension and HJ Andrews Experimental Forest Long-Term Ecological Research program.
The OST retreat created an opportunity for volunteers to visit with researchers from Oregon State University and the US Forest Service to learn about the work they are doing. Most importantly, the retreat was a chance for the OST volunteers to see how their observations at home, woodland or school yard contribute to work being done at the Andrews forest and elsewhere. It made a strong impression. “I feel that I am contributing important data and observations that matter to researchers.” said one OST volunteer. All seemed to be heading home with renewed enthusiasm and dedication to their science work. “I became a volunteer because I felt there was a need and a value, but it was here that it became real for me.” commented a volunteer at the end.
Read more about the retreat and see photos on the Oregon Season Tracker Blog and the online photo gallery.