DataOne project awarded $15 million grant from National Science Foundation :: The University of New Mexico

"As with the proverbial canary carried by miners, birds serve as an indicator of the health of our environment. Many common species have experienced significant population declines within the last 40 years. Suggested causes include habitat loss and climate change, however to fully understand bird distribution relative to the environment, extensive data are needed. Through a collaboration of DataONE and multiple partners, bird occurrence data collected by citizen scientists has been combined with land use data to allow researchers to map over 300 bird species against important environmental factors. With this information, they were able to more accurately assess the degree of protection required for each species and the responsibility of public land agencies. To continue efforts like these and build upon its achievements, DataONE has recently been awarded a $15 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of an accomplishment based renewal ..."