Claire O'Neill
The March Fells dog poop records are in! 276 visual records were submitted this month by 10 citizen scientists over the course of 22 distinct survey dates (amounting to 32 survey visits).
The total number of records went up compared to last month. Does this reflect a higher rate of poop litter compared to February? Not necessarily. With warmer temperatures, we had more feet on the ground this month. Actually, the average number of records per observer stayed more or less the same. We just covered more ground. What we can tell for sure though is that there's not been a trend down in our records since we started. Remember this is not a census but a sampling/survey, which allows us to document the magnitude of the problem and hot spots over time. This winter we actually had the opportunity to grasp how much we are not seeing during our surveys: so much poop–of course–is located off trails and harder to detect for human eyes. Each time that we venture in the open we're reminded of that.
No matter what, those maps are already having a social impact, and are important from a management standpoint: to date, the map has been seen more than 16,000 times and counting. The map is also used as an additional component layer to EwA's maps, as it refines the overall habitat degradation mapping effort.
You can visualize the result of the 2021 winter season data campaign in the EwA Dog Poop interactive map (look at the left panel, you'll see it down there) > click on a poop icon in that Winter map layer and you'll see the associated data and a picture of the real thing when the file could be uploaded. The icon simply represents an occurrence during a specific season. All records are stored and retrievable upon request. Each icon represents a season.
Thanks to the EwA citizen scientists who provided dog poop data (sharing your photos) this past month! We're now starting the 2021 April poop data layer. You can help! 🗺️ Share the map. If you want to read more about the study, check the EwA Conservation 2020 report (pp 92), you'll learn about the harm of bagged and unbagged poop as bio-pollutant, and what difference mapping dog poop makes.
If you want to join the survey effort, we're looking for volunteers who can commit to surveying specific routes in the Fells once or twice a month ( > EwA volunteer interest form). Thanks!
A mantra to share widely: "Bag it in - Take it out"
