Browsing by Author "Harshaw, Howard W."

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    Highly specialized recreationists contribute the most to the citizen science project eBird
    Rosenblatt, Connor J.; Dayer, Ashley A.; Duberstein, Jennifer N.; Phillips, Tina B.; Harshaw, Howard W.; Fulton, David C.; Cole, Nicholas W.; Raedeke, Andrew H.; Rutter, Jonathan D.; Wood, Christopher L. (Oxford University Press, 2022-05-06)
    Contributory citizen science projects (hereafter "contributory projects") are a powerful tool for avian conservation science. Large-scale projects such as eBird have produced data that have advanced science and contributed to many conservation applications. These projects also provide a means to engage the public in scientific data collection. A common challenge across contributory projects like eBird is to maintain participation, as some volunteers contribute just a few times before disengaging. To maximize contributions and manage an effective program that has broad appeal, it is useful to better understand factors that influence contribution rates. For projects capitalizing on recreation activities (e.g., birding), differences in contribution levels might be explained by the recreation specialization framework, which describes how recreationists vary in skill, behavior, and motives. We paired data from a survey of birders across the United States and Canada with data on their eBird contributions (n = 28,926) to test whether those who contributed most are more specialized birders. We assigned participants to 4 contribution groups based on eBird checklist submissions and compared groups' specialization levels and motivations. More active contribution groups had higher specialization, yet some specialized birders were not active participants. The most distinguishing feature among groups was the behavioral dimension of specialization, with active eBird participants owning specialized equipment and taking frequent trips away from home to bird. Active participants had the strongest achievement motivations for birding (e.g., keeping a life list), whereas all groups had strong appreciation motivations (e.g., enjoying the sights and sounds of birding). Using recreation specialization to characterize eBird participants can help explain why some do not regularly contribute data. Project managers may be able to promote participation, particularly by those who are specialized but not contributing, by appealing to a broader suite of motivations that includes both appreciation and achievement motivations, and thereby increase data for conservation. Lay Summary center dot Contributory science projects have conservation and societal benefits, yet some projects struggle with participant retention. center dot Recreation specialization (a framework that describes individuals' degree of engagement in and commitment to an activity) uses three dimensions to classify recreationists: affective (psychological attachment to specific activities), behavioral (frequency of participation, prior experience, and equipment used), and cognitive (knowledge and skill about an activity). center dot We used survey data about involvement and preferences of birders in the U.S. and Canada to measure recreation specialization. We then combined these data with respondents' checklist contributions to eBird. center dot Individuals who had the highest scores for all three recreation specialization dimensions contributed the most checklists to eBird. center dot Participants motivated by achievement contributed more than those not motivated by achievement. Motivation by appreciation did not influence the number of contributions.
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    Racial, ethnic, and social patterns in the recreation specialization of birdwatchers: An analysis of United States eBird registrants
    Rutter, Jonathan D.; Dayer, Ashley A.; Harshaw, Howard W.; Cole, Nicholas W.; Duberstein, Jennifer N.; Fulton, David C.; Raedeke, Andrew H.; Schuster, Rudy M. (Elsevier, 2021-09)
    Although birdwatchers comprise a large and growing proportion of the American public, there is a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the birdwatching community. Previous research suggests that this homogeneity is self-perpetuating, as Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color (BIPOC) are less likely to pursue activities in which no one they know participates. However, it is unclear whether this trend in birdwatching participation also applies to degree of subsequent participant involvement. Using a national online survey of US birdwatchers, we measured the degree of recreation specialization among birdwatchers along affective, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions. We also determined whether respondents had social connections (acquaintances, close friends, or relatives) who birdwatch. We then used logistic regression to determine which ethno-racial groups were more likely to have birdwatcher social connections, and multiple linear regression to investigate how our measures of recreation specialization varied by ethno-racial group. As expected, the ethno-racial composition of the birdwatchers we studied was significantly less diverse than that of the American public. Of the 29,380 respondents who reported their ethno-racial group, 5.2% were BIPOC (including Native American, Black, Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, or multiracial), while 94.8% were non-Hispanic White. However, we observed no statistically significant ethno-racial patterns in overall degree of recreation specialization, even when controlling for social connection and demographic characteristics. Considering the three dimensions of specialization individually, we found that some ethno-racial predictors were statistically significant, but coefficients were too small to be practically significant. We conclude that while some ethno-racial groups are underrepresented among birdwatchers, there is insufficient evidence that they are also under-specialized. Management implications: Understanding the racial and ethnic dynamics of outdoor recreation is crucial as wildlife agencies and organizations seek to diversify wildlife-related recreation and serve the breadth of their public constituencies. We found that although Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the United States are underrepresented in birdwatching, the degree of their involvement (i.e. recreation specialization) does not differ substantially from that of White birdwatchers. Efforts to build a more diverse birdwatching community should therefore focus on increasing participation from, and developing opportunities that are inclusive of, underrepresented ethno-racial groups.