Using Community Science to Help Conserve Saguaro National Park’s Amazing Plant Diversity
Beckman D and Swann D. 2023. Using Community Science to Help Conserve Saguaro National Park’s Amazing Plant Diversity. National Park Service, Western National Parks Association. Tucson AZ
Report of Rincon Mountain high elevation plant surveys beginning in 2017 which resulted in rediscoveries of plants that were feared to be lost, as well as additional findings of rare plants that had never been recorded. Surveys added 22 native plant species to the known flora of the Rincon Mountain District, many of them globally or nationally rare. Collections, photo observations, and associated data from this project will serve as permanent scientific records of plant diversity in the park. By highlighting certain biodiversity hotspots, they will also guide adaptive management and monitoring as the park strives to preserve and document its unique biodiversity in the face of a rapidly changing climate. Incorporating Citizen Science, outreach goals were to increase awareness and appreciation of the park’s lesser-known mountain plants, and to inspire visitors and local naturalists to help document plant diversity through iNaturalist. Social media posts to the park’s Facebook and Instagram pages were aimed at reaching one or both of these goals. Digital media was created to share videos of rare high-elevation plants. National Park Interpretation teams were also involved in a launch of an “Art in the Park” series, a monthly event inviting the public to make art around a park topic or interpretive theme. The inaugural event featured watercolors and was called “Painting the Plants of the Rincons”.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Beckman, Daniel; Swann, Don
- Date of Issue
- 2023-12
- Publisher
- National Park Service, Western National Parks Association
- Units
- SAGU
- Keywords
- Art in the Park, biodiversity, Carolina vervain (Verbena carolina), Citizen Science, flora, iNaturalist, Madrean Sky Islands, rare plant survey, Rincon Mountain District, Saguaro National Park, Sonoran Desert. flora