YardMap is a citizen science project from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology designed to cultivate a richer understanding of bird habitat, for both professional scientists and people concerned with their local environments.
The YardMap Network is an NSF-funded project that builds online communities to investigate the impacts of bird-friendly and carbon-neutral practices in backyards, community gardens, and parks. Participants will locate their yards or parks on a Google maps interface, then document their sustainable practices, such as adding native plants, putting up bird feeders, installing a solar panel, or biking to work.
YardMap will serve as a detailed site description for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s citizen-science bird observations. By providing access to rich media resources for learning about sustainable practices and enabling people to share their maps and practices with each other, YardMap strives to create online conservation communities engaged in real life sustainable practices.
The YardMap Network is a partnership with the National Audubon Society, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Empire State College’s online alumni program, and the American Community Gardening Association.
YardMap is designed to help answer questions such as:
- What practices improve the wildlife value of residential landscapes?
- Which of these practices have the greatest impact?
- Over how large an area do we have to implement these practices to really make a difference?
- What impact do urban and suburban wildlife corridors and stopover habitats have on birds?
- Which measures (bird counts? nesting success?) show the greatest impacts of our practices?
The YardMap web site is at yardmap.org.
(From the July Newsletter)
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