Connecting Local Food Systems and Ecosystems in the Greater San Juan Mountain Ecosystem (and in your local area*)
Helping those who are passionate about local food see the importance of the health of our foodsheds and surrounding ecosystems through observing and monitoring indicators of foodshed health.
San Juan Mountain Watch Field Guide (PDF)
Preview Intro and Contents Here
*ALSO: for a version of this Field Guide including San Juan Mtn examples, but for use anywhere where people care about their foodsheds:
Exploring Foodshed Health Field Guide (PDF)
Preview Intro and Contents Here
(May work better if you download or save the pdf to your computer and use Adobe.)
Note: Edits/New Links since last Field Guide update:
New worksheets for Field Guide Appendices.
Colorado Wildlife Reporting Forms and Wildlife Viewing Areas
Colorado Surface Water Conditions—Daily river and reservoir data (page 17 in the guide)
Quick Links
- Observing Indicators of Foodshed Health: 17 observation topics to investigate
- Observing Options for All Ages: how anyone can get involved
- Wild School Gardens: our program and guide to observing nature in school gardens
- Current Professional Monitoring by agencies and nonprofits
- Citizen Science Opportunities and more for the greater San Juan Mountain Ecosystem
The San Juan Mountain Watch Project
This project and these guides are designed to support people of all ages in observing, monitoring, and becoming more aware of the health of our local foodsheds. Let us know of any viewing issues, bad links, or suggestions you have.
Goal:
This project is designed to 1) highlight current foodshed monitoring efforts, and 2) engage more of the public, through their interest in local food, to join in monitoring the ecological health of our local foodsheds and surrounding ecosystems to generate more public awareness, stewardship, policy support, and protection of the food production capacity and ecosystems of the greater San Juan Mountain region.
Vision:
We envision gardeners, farmers, ranchers, school children, and all who value local food actively helping scientists monitor foodshed and ecosystem health. With an eye to both the promise of sustainable local food systems and the critical and urgent issues facing us, the ultimate aim is a climate-friendly, wildlife-friendly, future-friendly region.
Being curious and observant is the foundation:
Paying attention to nature and how it is doing is the underlying awareness needed. Time spent outdoors, away from screens and other distractions is essential—for toddlers and preschoolers to adults of all ages. Observing Options for All Ages
Monitoring or observing over time is essential to identifying trends, both good and bad. Observing and monitoring changes when one is growing food is especially useful in this project—as gardeners, farmers, and ranchers. Monitoring by others in the community can support these growers in coping with increasing challenges. For foodsheds, Ecosystem and Wildlife Services for Food Production in addition to weather and climate are the focus. We actually include surrounding ecosystems in our foodshed definition since they are so interdependent with agricultural ecosystems.
Suggested foodshed indicators to monitor: Some indicators are already monitored by agencies and other groups including water quality, water supply/snowpack/dust on snow, air quality, soil protection, and regional weather and climate, but they may need help especially in keeping track of more local variations—local precipitation, hail, and frost dates would be good examples. Other indicators, such as pollinators and beneficial insects, birds, pikas, and phenology (seasonal happenings like blossoming dates, etc.) are well suited to citizen monitoring. If scientists and agencies knew that people would help, they would likely have much more we could monitor for them, in addition to what is happening now. See our expanding lists of Current Professional Monitoring and Citizen Science Opportunities for you to consider.
Citizen Science activities aid scientists and agencies in understanding and helping solve serious problems we face such as species decline, climate change, ecosystem disruptions, and phenology or seasonal timing changes. Bumblebee Watch, CoCoRaHS, Lost Ladybug, Vegetable Varieties, eBird, Dragonfly Pond Watch, Great Sunflower Project, and Nature’s Notebook are a few of the rigorous but accessible programs free and ready to use by observers of all ages—see them on our Observing page.
Just for kids: Engaging students from PreK-12 in observing and monitoring in natural settings, especially in school gardens, is key to their education, emotional development, and in developing a healthy relationship with nature. Our Wild School Gardens program shows how.
Wild farms, ranches, and gardens: Most of the monitoring activities in our Wild School Gardens program are well suited to adults as gardeners, farmers, and ranchers—and those who support these growers. In fact, coordinating the observations, monitoring, and Citizen Science between school gardens and adults throughout the community is the ideal. For example, community experts can help in school garden monitoring projects, and farmers and ranchers who sell food to schools can coordinate monitoring with kids in those schools.
What if???
What if farmers, ranchers, gardeners, school children, local experts, science/conservation/sustainability groups, and citizens of all types were much more aware and engaged in monitoring food-producing and natural ecosystems surrounding our local communities? What if they were connected with each other and with other communities across the greater San Juan Mountain region? What if we had more data showing ecological trends across elevational and latitudinal gradients—weather, pollinators, wildlife indicators? What if people were much more informed and involved in protecting and restoring the foodsheds and other ecosystems of the region and the climate and biodiversity of the planet? Our kids might just thank us some day.
Getting Involved:
We need partners of all types to make this happen. Here is how you can help:
- Scientists and Agencies: What data could citizen scientists gather to help you here?
- Citizen Scientists: What are you monitoring here now and how can we support you?
- Environmental & nature groups, schools, etc.: Can we help you do more Citizen Science?
- Those wishing to become Citizen Scientists: Let us know—we will help you get started. Check out our Citizen Science Opportunities page.
Paying attention to nature and how it is doing—especially in, under, over, and around our farms, ranches, and gardens—can build the community-wide awareness and engagement to protect and restore our foodsheds and surrounding wild areas and ensure a steady supply of healthy local food into the future.
