Our Community Naturalists—and all of us at Audubon Rockies—know you don’t have to be a professional scientist to make a real difference in the world of conservation. There are endless opportunities for anyone to get involved in bird conservation through community science, where everyday people collect and analyze scientific data in collaboration with professionals. This data can then be used in real-world studies, making tangible differences in our understanding of bird populations and how best to conserve them.

For one project in southern Colorado, the San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership, Audubon Rockies has teamed up with volunteer community scientists from Weminuche Audubon Society (WAS) to assess the impacts of fuel-reduction treatments on birds. By monitoring birds in forest plots that have undergone treatments—such as forest thinning, mastication (understory removal), and prescribed fire—versus those that have not, community scientists with the partnership have provided valuable data on the health of local ecosystems, highlighting the response of birds to respective treatments. Through this important work, WAS volunteers have gained a deeper understanding of forest and fire ecology and improved birding skills, providing joy and personal fulfillment along the way.

This is just one of many opportunities to get involved in community science with Audubon Rockies. Other programs include pika monitoring in the San Juan National Forest and the Audubon Christmas Bird Count and Great Backyard Bird Count, which take place in southern Colorado and across the country.

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