Citizen science on a local scale: The Plants of Concern program

Abstract

Plants of Concern, a program administered by the Chicago Botanic Garden, relies on citizen scientists to monitor rare plant populations in the greater Chicago, Illinois, region. Over 650 volunteers monitor 990 populations of 233 endangered, threatened, and rare plant species. Volunteers attend a day-long workshop to learn a variety of monitoring techniques and also receive one-on-one mentoring in the field to help them apply the appropriate methodology for the species and sites they choose to monitor. © The Ecological Society of America.