A Sustainable Truckee River Calls for Citizen Science

The Truckee River is a crucial resource for residents in the Reno area. Not only does it supply 80% of our drinking water, it provides access and opportunity for recreational activities within close proximity. Due to its critical role in our community, it is important to care for this resource and ensure equitable access to all members of the community. As a geography major focusing on environmental policy and management from the University of Nevada, Reno-and someone that enjoys the recreation this area has to offer-I believe that citizen science is a great way for community engagement and a way for individuals to experience first-hand how the environment functions.

There are many activities that residents can participate in to ensure the Truckee River is kept in healthy condition. There are proactive measures we can take to inspect the quality of the river. By using citizen-science efforts, it provides the opportunity for community members to be directly involved with sustainability practices for the Truckee River and to continue conversations on sustainability, conservation, and even environmental justice. Citizen-science is the method of community involvement to keep track of vegetation, wildlife, and overall river quality through programs either local or national. The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Storm Network (CoCoRaHS), allows volunteers around different communities to track precipitation and allows open source data to be used by natural resource and research departments. Similarly, iNaturalist or the local Truckee River Guide provides options to submit observations of wildlife and vegetation so data of biodiversity can be recorded and evaluated for our community. To learn more, simply visit each initiative to get started.

Citizens can focus on areas of high heat or areas lacking vegetation, which can bolster efforts that increase tree canopy growth. Fortunately, there are city programs that directly relate to those goals such as ReLeaf Reno. There are plenty of other programs in our community that call for citizen science with outreach by the University of Nevada, Reno's extension programs (Nevada Water Innovation Institute & AVRS Outreach) or other Truckee River sustainability initiatives. What better way to directly aid the health of the Truckee River then by engaging in the science behind our critical resource.

Blog Author: Andrea Gonzalez, Student at the University of Nevada, Reno and Intern for the City of Reno, with contributions from City Staff.