Public Participation in Ornithology: An Introduction to Environmental Research

鸟类学是为数不多的业余爱好者仍然可以作出重大贡献的科学学科之一。无论他们是在喂食器上观察鸟类，还是为全国人口普查清点鸟类，或者进行简单的实验，他们的活动都极大地有助于我们了解鸟类。此外，参加鸟类研究项目的人不仅了解鸟类，他们也更加意识到环境问题。康奈尔鸟类学实验室的存在是为了促进这种业余参与和教育。这项建议旨在加强我们的教育计划，并扩大它们，以包括在内城服务不足的观众。我们建议评估我们的广播节目，杂志，和项目FeederWatch吸引不同观众的程度，以及这些节目在传播有关鸟类的信息和刺激参与方面的有效性。根据这个评估，我们将修改我们的程序，然后再次评估它们。根据这个评估，我们将修改我们的程序，然后再次评估它们。我们还提出了一个全新的志愿者协助的数据收集计划，我们称之为国家科学实验。志愿者将与其他组织合作，研究我们城市中鸽子的生物学，美国各地冬季鸟类的食物偏好，以及新热带移民唐纳雀的栖息地要求。这些研究的结果将引起鸟类学家和观鸟者的兴趣;此外，该项目的参与者将直接参与科学进程。

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.