Community Science
Studying our natural world, together
Community science is a new and important piece of DCLT’s work to promote a nature-focused community while protecting natural resources in Dennis and beyond. It brings scientists and interested community members together to collect and analyze data that inform our conservation actions.
Projects
If you have a question about the natural world, or scientific skills you’d like to share, contact us to get involved today.
Each summer we monitor water quality biweekly at Chase Garden Creek. Our volunteers sample important parameters like temperature and dissolved oxygen, and collect water samples for processing at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies.
We deploy an array of wildlife cameras to monitor animal activity across our properties. Observations are entered into our database to determine changes to wildlife communities through time, and the information is used to inform our land stewardship activities.
We monitor wetland habitats that may serve as vernal pools – essential breeding habitat for amphibians like wood frogs and spotted salamanders. We share observations with the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife for purposes of understanding regional and state-wide population trends.
We survey pond biodiversity to understand the abundance and distribution of rare, invasive, and keystone species. These data are reported to the State and used in combination with water quality monitoring data to better understand the health and status of our Town’s ponds.
