Citizen Scientist [eBook - Biblioboard] : Searching for Heroes and Hope in an Age of Extinction

Citizen science might just be our last, best chance to fight extinction. But is there really hope for threatened species? Mary Ellen Hannibal needed to find out. Hannibal, an award-winning writer and emerging emissary from scientists to the public, sets out to become a citizen scientist herself. In search of vanishing species, she wades into tide pools, follows hawks, and scours mountains. The data she collects will help environmental research--but her most precious discovery might be her fellow citizen scientists: a heroic cast of volunteers devoting long hours to helping scientists measure--and even slow--today's unprecedented mass extinction. A consummate reporter, Hannibal digs into the origins of the tech-savvy citizen science movement--tracing it back through centuries of amateur observation by writers and naturalists. Prompted by her novelist father's sudden death, she also examines her own past and discovers a family legacy of looking closely at the world. Her personal loss only fuels her quest to bear witness to life, and so she ultimately returns her gaze to the wealth of species still left to fight for. Combining research and memoir in impassioned prose, Citizen Scientist is a literary event, a blueprint for action, and the story of how one woman rescues herself from an odyssey of loss—with a new kind of science. "Citizen Science might just be our last, best chance to fight extinction. But is there really hope for threatened species? Mary Ellen Hannibal needed to find out. Hannibal, an award-winning writer and emerging emissary from scientists to the public, sets out to become a citizen scientist herself. In search of vanishing species, she wades into tide pools, follows hawks, and scours mountains. The data she collects will help environmental research -- but her most precious discovery might be her fellow citizen scientists: a heroic cast of volunteers devoting long hours to helping scientists measure -- and even slow -- today's unprecedented mass extinction. A consummate reporter, Hannibal digs into the origins of the tech-savvy citizen scientist movement -- tracing it back through centuries of amateur observation by writers and naturalists. Prompted by her novelist father's sudden death, she also examines her own past and discovers a family legacy of looking closely at the world. Her personal loss only fuels her quest to bear witness to life, and so she ultimately returns her gaze to the wealth of species still left to fight for. Combining research and memoir in impassioned prose, Citizen Scientist is a literary event, a blueprint for action, and the story of how one woman rescues herself from an odyssey of loss -- with a new kind of science"-- Provided by publisher A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year: "Intelligent and impassioned, Citizen Scientist is essential reading for anyone interested in the natural world." A Nautilus Award Winner in Ecology and Environment Award-winning writer Mary Ellen Hannibal has long reported on scientists' efforts to protect vanishing species. But it was only through citizen science that she found she could take action herself. As she wades into tide pools, spots hawks, and scours mountains, she discovers the power of the heroic volunteers who are helping scientists measure—and even slow—today's unprecedented mass extinction. Citizen science may be the future of large-scale field research—and "might be our last, best hope for solving myriad environmental predicaments" ( Library Journal ). our planet's last, best hope. "Inspired by the likes of marine biologist Ed Ricketts, [Hannibal] records starfish die-offs, meets the geeks who track deforestation, and plans a web-based supercommunity of citizen scientists to counter what many are calling the sixth great extinction. A cogent call to action." — Nature "Hannibal's use of details verges on the sublime." — East Hampton Star "[A] celebration of nonexperts' contributions to science." — Scientific American In the vein of H Is for Hawk and the work of Rebecca Solnit and Elizabeth Kolbert-a masterful consideration of the profound, urgent necessity to bear witness to life and loss Here is a wide-ranging adventure in becoming a citizen scientist by an award-winning writer and environmental thought leader. As Mary Ellen Hannibal wades into tide pools, follows hawks, and scours mountains to collect data on threatened species, she discovers the power of a heroic cast of volunteers-and the makings of what may be our last, best hope in slowing an unprecedented mass extinction. Digging deeply, Hannibal traces today's tech-enabled citizen science movement to its roots: the centuries-long tradition of amateur observation by writers and naturalists. Prompted by her novelist father's sudden death, she also examines her own past-and discovers a family legacy of looking closely at the world. With unbending zeal for protecting the planet, she then turns her gaze to the wealth of species left to fight for. Combining original reporting, meticulous research, and memoir in impassioned prose, Citizen Scientist is a literary event, a blueprint for action, and the story of how one woman rescued herself from an odyssey of loss-with a new kind of science A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of 2016: "Intelligent and impassioned, Citizen Scientist is essential reading for anyone interested in the natural world." Award-winning writer Mary Ellen Hannibal has long reported on scientists' efforts to protect vanishing species, but it was only through citizen science that she found she could take action herself. As she wades into tide pools, spots hawks, and scours mountains, she discovers the power of the heroic volunteers who are helping scientists measure--and even slow--today's unprecedented mass extinction. Citizen science may be the future of large-scale field research--and our planet's last, best hope In The Vein Of H Is For Hawk And The Work Of Rebecca Solnit And Elizabeth Kolbert-- A Masterful Consideration Of The Profound, Urgent Necessity To Bear Witness To Life And Loss-- Introduction: Change Over Time -- In Which I Freak Out In The Tide Pool -- Moby Ghost -- The Wild Garden -- Dream Machine -- Green Thumb In A Dark Eden -- Into The Woods -- We All Want To Change The World -- First There Is A Mountain -- Innocence And Experience -- Bee, I'm Expecting You -- Eyewitness -- Epilogue: The River Was There. Mary Ellen Hannibal. Includes Bibliographical References (pages [397]-416) And Index. Dedication Epigraphs Contents Introduction: Change over Time 1 In Which I Freak Out in the Tide Pool 2 Moby Ghost 3 The Wild Garden 4 Dream Machine 5 Green Thumb in a Dark Eden 6 Into the Woods 7 We All Want to Change the World 8 First There Is a Mountain 9 Innocence and Experience 10 Bee, I’m Expecting You 11 Eyewitness Epilogue: The River Was There Acknowledgments Notes Select Bibliography Index About the Author "In the vein of H Is for Hawk and the work of Rebecca Solnit and Elizabeth Kolbert-- a masterful consideration of the profound, urgent necessity to bear witness to life and loss"-- Amazon.com Citizen Scientist is award-winning environmental journalist and author Mary Ellen Hannibals story of becoming a citizen scientist - and finding more than she bargained for at every turn.