Adventurers Become Citizen Scientists for Conservation

Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation (ASC) is a non-profit that can turn you, the adventure junkie, into a citizen scientist. That’s because ASC pairs adventure athletes of all kinds–climbers, backcountry skiers, cyclists, etc.–with scientists who need help collecting data from out in the field, where you happen to be heading to on your next big expedition.

“Currently, there exists a great void in our scientific understanding of our impact on the natural environment. We, as the ambassadors of the outdoors, the ones whoare living in, moving through, and sharing the value of the wilderness with the rest of the world have a responsibility to do all that is in our power to protect what welove so much,” says Gregg Trienish, the founder of ASC.

Since so many of the world’s adventurers spend so much of their time in remote, unexplored corners of the world–and have the athletic capability to maneuver themselves through rough landscapes–it’s highly fitting that they should be the ones to collect scientific data. But until now, through ASC, there’s been no “easy” way to link adventurers in the field with the scientists who need the data.

ASC works to do just this, to seamlessly link adventurers with scientists who share the same interests. This way, you, the adventurer, can design a project that will fit what you do most, or best. If you’re less particular about what kind of adventure you set out on, you can search the ASC database to see what specific scientific projects are looking for, and go from there.

“We want to recruit an army of citizen-scientists who are willing to help the fight against climate change and human encroachment,” says Treinish. “The goal is to send hundreds of expeditions out and have them bring back the information we will need to manage the future of our wild areas.”

Treinish, who began ASC in Novemebr 2010, as well as his partner, Deia, have literally walked the walk for years–embarking on expeditions of their own and collecting scientific data along the way. In 2008, Treinish was named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year for making the first-ever recorded trek of the 7,800-miles over the Andes. He wrote about his expedition, Across the Andes, in two parts for us, first in Wend Issue 3, Volume 3, and also (part two) in Volume 4.

More recently, Treinish and his partner reported on their Connecting the Gems journey in our last issue. In it, Treinish writes about their mission to explore threats to connectivity along America’s best hope for a carnivore superhighway.

In his own experience and written accounts, Treinish demonstrates how compatible science and adventure really are–giving a compelling case of just how important it is for those who spend their lives exploring the outdoors to help scientists preserve it.

Interested in becoming an ASC adventure athlete and citizen scientist? Click here to get started.

[Photo Via: jeffk]