Tools for Citizen Science Management at a Small Non-Profit

Since its inception in 1982, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s programs have involved citizens in studying the coastal ecosystem with over 26 short- and long-term projects, which have ranged from quantifying plastics in the marine environment to taking tissue samples for genomic information to identifying harmful algal species. At the core of Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s successful programs is a cadre of over 200 dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers concerned to the point of action about marine conservation. The PTMSC’s Citizen Science program aims to reach audiences by involving citizen scientists, marine resource managers, and scientists. In a sea of concern and enthusiasm, a small non-profit organization can easily be overwhelmed with project ideas and requests. The Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s staff developed a set of three simple tools to guide their project selection process and data management: (1) the “Project Evaluation Rubric” scores eight key areas related to sustainability and suitability to our mission; (2) the “Project Timeline” guides a project supervisor through the steps of data management as it relates to a data management plan in checklist-form, from preparing to collect data to data storage; (3) the “Citizen Science Data Sharing At-A-Glance”, a reference form for cataloging data, which describes the project, data format and how data can and should be shared. Keywords: citizen science, volunteer, data management, marine science, project selectio