What’s the scoop?

Ottawa County Parks and Recreation has been working with Karina White, a biology and A.P. environmental science teacher from Jenison High School (JHS), for almost a decade through the Adopt-A-Park program.  When White decided to attend Grand Valley State University for a master’s degree in biology, she sought a project that would involve her students in research and benefit the parks.

White landed on creating a citizen science-based protocol that can help monitor upland restoration sites, like planted grasslands. While wetland restoration can be monitored by tracking water quality changes with programs like MiCorps, there isn’t a comparable protocol for restored upland ecosystems.

In Spring of 2022, 40 volunteers, including current and former JHS students, identified and counted plants and insects in restored and unrestored areas of Grand Ravines Park. White intends to continue monitoring the park after she obtains her degree to provide long-term monitoring data that will be used to inform management decisions such as prescribed fire schedule and invasive species management. This innovative project could be used by other organizations within Michigan and beyond.

“My involvement in scientific research as an undergraduate student was such an important part of my true understanding of the process of science.  It’s exciting to be able to offer that same opportunity to my current and former students, and to help the Ottawa County Parks along the way.”