EAP21-0576.R1 - Implementing Community-Engaged Ecological Research in Proctor Creek, an Urban Watershed in Atlanta, GA

The Southeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) implemented community-engaged research in Proctor Creek, an urban watershed in Northwest Atlanta, Georgia, to sample for aquatic species of concern in Atlanta, Georgia’s Proctor Creek Watershed as a part of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership program. This research shifted the focus of the agency from the endangered and pristine natural spaces to a major city watershed negatively impacted by urbanization and other human influences for more than a century. Team members from USFWS, Proctor Creek Watershed residents, local students, and other stakeholders in the UWFP spent three months conducting stream surveys and participating in community-led events to build relationships and learn community priorities. The team collected data at 11 sites throughout the Proctor Creek Watershed, visually assessed each site, and collected aquatic species using dip nets, seines, and traps. We observed approximately 28 aquatic species, including 13 unique fish species, and eight macroinvertebrate species, including two unique crayfish species. We also observed varying degrees of ecological health throughout the watershed. Native aquatic animal species were found at all stream sites, no matter the condition of the stream. Through creating training resources and disseminating data among team members for future sampling, the team established pathways to keep natural resource stewardship sustainable outside of direct federal involvement. Through engaging in community-engaged research to achieve the mission of the agency, the USFWS Proctor Creek watershed survey helped shift the paradigm of how government agencies can connect their mission statements to the ever-changing complex needs of the American public.美国鱼类及野生动物管理局（U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USFWS）东南部区域办公室依托城市流域联邦伙伴计划（Urban Waters Federal Partnership program, UWFP），在佐治亚州亚特兰大西北部的普罗克特溪（Proctor Creek）开展社区参与式研究，对亚特兰大普罗克特溪流域内的受关注水生物种进行采样调查。此项研究将机构的关注重心从濒危物种与原生自然空间，转向受城市化及其他人类活动影响超百年的大型城市流域。来自USFWS、普罗克特溪流域居民、当地学生及UWFP其他利益相关方的研究团队，耗时三个月开展溪流调查，并参与社区主导的活动，以建立协作关系并明确社区优先事项。团队在普罗克特溪流域的11个采样点收集数据，对每个点位进行目视评估，并使用抄网、围网及诱捕装置采集水生生物样本。本次调查共记录到约28种水生生物，其中包含13种独特鱼类，以及8种大型无脊椎动物，其中含2种独特螯虾物种。团队同时在流域范围内观测到生态健康水平存在显著差异；无论各采样点的溪流生境状况如何，均检出了本土水生动物物种。通过编制培训资源并在团队内部共享数据以支撑后续采样工作，该团队建立了无需联邦直接介入即可持续开展自然资源管护的路径。本次普罗克特溪流域调查通过开展社区参与式研究践行机构使命，助力转变了政府机构如何将自身使命宣言与美国民众不断变化的复杂需求相衔接的范式。