Public Participation in Ornithology: An Introduction to Environmental Research

鸟类学是业余爱好者仍能做出重大贡献的为数不多的科学学科之一。无论是在喂食处观察鸟类，还是在全国人口普查中清点鸟类，还是进行简单的实验，他们的活动对我们对鸟类的了解都有很大的贡献。此外，参加鸟类研究项目的人不仅能了解鸟类，还能更加意识到环境问题。康奈尔鸟类学实验室的存在就是为了促进这种业余的参与和教育。该提案旨在加强我们的教育项目，并将其扩展到内城服务不足的受众。我们建议评估我们的广播节目、杂志和“喂鸟观察计划”对不同受众的吸引力，以及这些节目在传播鸟类信息和促进参与方面的有效性。根据这个评估，我们将修改我们的程序，然后再次评估。根据这个评估，我们将修改我们的程序，然后再次评估。我们还提出了一个全新的志愿者协助数据收集项目，我们称之为国家科学实验。志愿者们将与其他组织合作，研究我们城市里鸽子的生物学特征、美国各地冬季鸟类的食物偏好，以及新热带候鸟对栖息地的要求。这些研究的结果将引起鸟类学家和观鸟者的兴趣；此外，该项目的参与者将获得第一手参与科学过程的机会。

Ornithology is one of the few scientific disciplines to which amateurs can still make significant contributions. Whether they observe birds at a feeder, count birds for a national census, or conduct a simple experiment, their activities contribute greatly to our knowledge of birds. Furthermore, participants in bird study programs not only learn about birds, they also become more aware of environmental problems. The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology exists to facilitate such amateur involvement and education. This proposal is aimed at strengthening our education programs and expanding them to include under-served audiences in the inner city. We propose to evaluate the extent to which our radio program, magazine, and Project FeederWatch appeal to various audiences and how effective these programs are at communicating information about birds and in stimulating involvement. Based on this evaluation, we will modify our programs, then evaluate them again. Based on this evaluation, we will modify our programs, then evaluate them again. We are also proposing a brand-new volunteer-assisted data gathering program, which we call the National Science Experiment. In cooperation with other organizations, volunteers will look at the biology of pigeons in our cities, food preferences of winter birds across the United States, and the habitat requirements of neotropical migrant tanagers. The results of these studies will be of interest to both ornithologists and birders; furthermore, participants in the project will gain first-hand involvement with the process of science.