On Miller Creek, community science volunteers assessed habitat, noxious weeds, and riparian vegetation species diversity pre- and post stream restoration at two sites.

Community science is scientific work undertaken by members of the public in collaboration with professional scientists and scientific institutions. When community members and scientists work together, scientists are able to share the significance of their work, while volunteers contribute valuable time to projects about which they feel passionate. 

The Clark Fork Coalition uses community science programs to expand our capacity for data-driven restoration projects and engage an interested public in hands-on river stewardship. Our primary community science programs focus on monitoring ecosystem function on tributaries where we are working to boost the health of the river through integrated restoration efforts. 

Carefully designed monitoring programs improve the effectiveness of restoration efforts. The Clark Fork Coalition uses monitoring data to inform project design and site selection, measure progress toward goals of individual projects, enhance outcomes of ongoing projects, measure the effectiveness of our overall restoration program, and further improve the restoration process.