Citizen Science

The video below offers a look into our citizen science work.

Volunteer trips with the Cascade Forest Conservancy

Bringing members of the public into the forest to learn about restoration, conservation and ecology is a core component of our work to safeguard and protect Washington’s southern Cascades, and the volunteers who generously donate their time are an essential part of our direct conservation and restoration efforts.

In fact, many of our projects would be impossible without the help of concerned citizens dedicated to caring for their region. Data collected by volunteers informs all aspects of our work, from forest policy positions to prioritizing road restoration initiatives. Volunteers make possible projects that help improve habitat for wildlife and support ecosystem resilience. Anyone, no matter how familiar they are with ecology and conservation, can make a lasting positive difference for the forest as a volunteer with CFC. 

Visit our Trip Signup page to see the list of trips we are offering for the year and to sign up. Recent trips include:

• Survey of streams and forest roads to collect important field data on stream culverts, forest road conditions, erosion, and fish passage
• Timber surveys to collect information important for conservation planning and our collaborative work with timber harvest proposals
• Wildlife survey trips to monitor the distribution of carnivores
• Huckleberry monitoring to determine the effects of forest thinning on huckleberry restoration
• Beaver habitat surveys to assess the potential for streams and wetlands to become future reintroduction sites 
• Riparian planting trips to enhance native vegetation along stream banks
• Post-fire seeding trips to support re-growth of grasses and pollinator species in areas impacted by uncharacteristically severe fire patterns

Young Friends of the Forest

Young Friends of the Forest is a partnership between the Cascade Forest Conservancy and local schools offering unique field science opportunities for middle school and high school students. We work with the U.S. Forest Service to develop citizen science projects that engage our community’s youth with real, on-the-ground projects in the southern Washington Cascades. The program provides students with a unique learning experience that aligns with and enhances their school curriculum. The projects that the students take part in are directly related to forest management, and the data collected is used to help prioritize and design real restoration efforts in the national forest. These citizen science trips can be tailored to various curriculum requirements and/or Common Core and Next Generation standards. Our goals are to connect young people to the outdoors, teach forest and aquatic ecology, and mentor the next generation of environmental stewards.

We have worked with schools from Portland, OR, Oregon City, OR, Vancouver, WA, Stevenson, WA, and Camas, WA. In 2019, we bought 250 students out to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest where they explored beaver habitat and planted hundreds of trees. Young Friends trips are currently on hold while schools are closed due to COVID-19.

If you are a science educator and want a one-of-a-kind outdoor experience for your students, email our Science and Stewardship Manager, Amanda Keasberry, at amanda@cascadeforest.org