WAfLS Project Overview

Project WAfLS was an eight-state program designed to assess the population status, trends, and threats against the Short-eared Owl, an enigmatic, open-country species. Project WAfLS engaged enthusiastic citizen-scientist volunteers across the west to gather critical survey data, enabling a rigorous assessment of the status of this species. Our results have directly influenced high-value conservation actions by state and federal agencies, and our volunteers were rewarded with training and experience in critical observation, the scientific method, data collection, and regularly reporting unique and exciting observations.

The data collected by citizen scientists have helped develop the  Short-eared owl Occupancy Prediction map. This will help land managers and conservationists to predict where short-eared owl populations may occur due to climate change impacts.  Click here to access the map.