Abstract
Citizen science, or participation in the scientific process by members of the general public, is an important tool for science education and community empowerment. However, many agencies and institutions engaged in citizen science programming do not fully embrace their own definitions of citizen science, relegating community participation to data collection alone. In this paper, I explore the case of a United States Geological Survey (USGS) citizen science project on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. I draw from my personal experience as a citizen scientist on this project, interviews with citizen science program managers and experts as well as community development, community participation, and youth focused citizen science literatures to argue to that the USGS:
-
Adjust its definition of citizen science to reflect actual activities and practices
-
Adjust activities and practices around citizen science to adhere more fully to its current definition.