[FLPERMACULTURE] Fwd: New Citizen Science Project - Plant phenology in the Finger Lakes

[Micheal Wheeler]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Feb 7, 2007 9:05 AM
Subject: New Citizen Science Project - Plant phenology in the Finger Lakes

 Climate Change and Plant Phenology: A Citizen Science Project
 A Workshop for Cooperative Extension Educators, Master Forest Owners,
Master Gardeners, and Land Trust Personnel in the Finger Lakes Region

 March 6, 2007
 at Arnot Teaching and Research Forest
 VanEtten, NY


·   Get the tools you need to participate in this important program!
·   Work with homeowners, private landowners, garden clubs and others
to help Cornell scientists discover important information about the
effects of climate change on native plants right here in central New
York.

 You've heard that the arctic ice cap is melting and that global
warming is affecting polar   bears and other animals but did you know
that….
  The annual average temperatures right here in the northeastern
United States have increased by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 30
years and are expected to continue to rise?
  Because of the temperature increase, lilacs have been flowering (on
average) 8 days earlier than they did previously?
  Increasing temperatures might also be affecting many of our native
plant species?
  For many kinds of plants, the time that they flower corresponds to
the time their  pollinators (bees, flies, etc.) are active, and
changes in timing could mean the demise of  these plant species?

       The effects of global warming may be evident right in your
backyard and Cornell scientists need your help. Climate change may be
affecting our native plants by changing the timing of bud break, leaf
emergence, flowering, fall coloration, and leaf drop.  To begin to
sort out whether increasing temperatures are affecting our native
plant  species, scientists need information on plants in many
different habitats and situations.

       A new citizen science project is beginning and volunteers are
needed to observe and  record important information about plants in
central New York. Volunteers will be trained to collect data and enter
it into a highly interactive, exciting, and easy-to-use website where
they will receive feedback through updated maps and charts about how
their observations are changing our understanding of the effects of
climate change. Feedback will include updated distribution maps,
ecology, and phenology (flowering information) for each species.

       If you would like to participate in this exciting program,
contact David Weinstein (email: daw5 at cornell.edu; phone 607-351-4214)
to indicate your interest, and when you might be available on March 6
for a morning, afternoon, or evening informational workshop.  This
session is expected to last 2 hours.

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