Efficacy of Informal Science Education (ISE) Practices to Develop Hispanic Citizen Scientists in the Watershed of the Rio Grande of Manati, Puerto Rico

波多黎各保护信托基金正在五个研究领域(昆虫监测、海岸/河流系统管理、鸟类社区、蝙蝠聚集地和文化资源)创建公民科学项目，使140名波多黎各拉美裔居民(14岁及以上)能够从贡献者到合作者再到共同创造者，沿着研究参与的连续统一体前进。随着公民科学家从事科学研究，以衡量城市发展对波多黎各北部马纳蒂河分水岭的影响，项目团队正在评估参与者在科学知识、技能、态度、沟通和行为方面的变化程度。拟议的项目正在加速波多黎各公民科学活动的发展。公民科学家产生的新的科学知识将在马纳蒂分水岭内外具有实际意义，因为波多黎各正在经历快速的城市发展，导致生物多样性的丧失和水质下降等环境问题的出现。公民科学家收集的环境数据将形成一个环境数据库，允许对流域进行长期监测，并为土地利用决策提供信息。

The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico is creating citizen science projects in five research areas (insect monitoring; coastal/river system management; bird communities; bat assemblages; and cultural resources) that allow 140 Hispanic residents of Puerto Rico (age 14 and older) to move along a continuum of research involvement from contributor to collaborator to co-creator. As citizen scientists engage in scientific research that measures the effects of urban development on the Manati River watershed in northern Puerto Rico, the project team is evaluating the degree to which participants show changes in science knowledge, skills, attitudes, communication, and behavior.The proposed project is accelerating the development of citizen science activities in Puerto Rico. New scientific knowledge generated by citizen scientists will have practical importance within and beyond the Manati watershed because Puerto Rico is undergoing rapid urban development, resulting in the loss of biodiversity and emergence of environmental problems such as lower water quality. Environmental data collected by citizen scientists will form an environmental database that permits long-term watershed monitoring and informs land use decision making.