Earthwatch Institute Inc

EARTHWATCH INSTITUTE CONNECTS PEOPLE WITH SCIENTISTS WORLDWIDE TO CONDUCT ENVIRONMENTAL FIELD RESEARCH AND EMPOWERS THEM WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THEY NEED TO CONSERVE THE PLANET. SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1971, EARTHWATCH HAS EMPOWERED OVER 100,000 VOLUNTEERS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE TO JOIN LEADING SCIENTISTS ON RESEARCH EXPEDITIONS THAT TACKLE CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES AROUND THE GLOBE - FROM CLIMATE CHANGE TO OCEAN HEALTH, HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT, AND MORE. EARTHWATCH INVITES PEOPLE FROM ALL SECTORS TO JOIN ITS MISSION, FROM THE PUBLIC TO TEACHERS, STUDENTS, COMPANIES, AND MORE. UNDER NORMAL OPERATIONS WE SUPPORT MORE THAN 40 RESEARCH PROJECTS. DURING 2020 AND 2021 THE COVID PANDEMIC SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THIS TOTAL, BUT WE HAVE MAINTAINED RELATIONSHIPS WITH MOST OF OUR PARTNERS AND EXPECT TO WORK BACK TOWARDS 40 RESEARCH PROJECTS BY 2023.

EARTHWATCH'S PROGRAMS INVOLVE A GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF RESEARCHERS, CONSERVATION VOLUNTEERS, EDUCATORS, STUDENTS, NGO'S AND BUSINESSES WORKING TOGETHER TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT. THROUGH ITS EXPEDITIONS, EARTHWATCH ENGAGES INDIVIDUALS IN HANDS-ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH ALONGSIDE LEADING SCIENTISTS WHERE THEY ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES. FOR MUCH OF OUR 2021 FISCAL YEAR (OCTOBER 1, 2020- SEPTEMBER 30, 2021), OUR PROGRAMS WERE ONCE AGAIN HEAVILY IMPACTED BY THE GLOBAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC. AS SUCH, WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO SUPPORT 28 FIELD RESEARCH TEAMS (NORMALLY CLOSER TO 250 TEAMS) FOR EIGHT (8) PROJECTS (DOWN FROM THE APPROXIMATELY 38 FIELD-RESEARCH PROJECTS ACROSS 24 COUNTRIES THAT WERE A PART OF OUR PRE-PANDEMIC PROGRAMS). ALL PUBLIC FIELD TEAMS BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 AND MAY 22, 2021 WERE CANCELLED, WITH OUR RETURN TO FIELDING TEAMS COMMENCING ON MAY 23, 2021. APPROXIMATELY 265 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED ON EARTHWATCH PUBLIC FIELD PROJECTS. THESE INDIVIDUALS CONTRIBUTED APPROXIMATELY 19,000 HOURS TO RESEARCH DATA COLLECTION. SUPPORTED SCIENTISTS PUBLISHED AN ESTIMATED 55 PEER-REVIEWED PAPERS AND BOOK CHAPTERS DURING THIS FISCAL YEAR, WITH OVER 30 ADDITIONAL PUBLICATIONS FROM PREVIOUSLY-SUPPORTED RESEARCH PROJECTS. TWELVE GRADUATE STUDENTS THAT WERE IN PART SUPPORTED BY THE EARTHWATCH MODEL COMPLETED THEIR DEGREES IN 2021 (9 M.S. AND 3 PH.D.'S). EARTHWATCH IS DEDICATED TO CREATING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY THROUGH ITS RESEARCH PROJECTS, EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND HANDS-ON VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN FIELD RESEARCH.IN RECOGNITION THAT PART OF OUR MODEL'S CONTINUED VULNERABILITY TO THIS GLOBAL CRISIS HAS BEEN ITS RELIANCE ON TRAVEL, WE CHANNELED MORE EFFORT IN EXPANDING SEVERAL PROGRAMS THAT APPEAL TO BOTH CORPORATE PARTNERS (CURRENT AND POTENTIAL) AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT ARE NOT AS DEPENDENT ON TRAVEL. THESE INCLUDE HOSTING SEVERAL WEBINAR-STYLE PROGRAMS ON CLIMATE CHANGE FOR SOME OF OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS (160 PARTICIPANTS), SHIFTING THE EARTHWATCH AT HOME PROGRAM TO EARTHWATCH AT SCHOOL (WITH 37 PARTICIPANTS), PROMOTING AND EXPANDING PARTICIPATION IN OPERATION HEALTHY AIR (OHA) (>2,000 PARTICIPANTS), AND LAUNCHING OUR INATURALIST-BASED GLOBAL POLLINATOR WATCH PROJECT. FOR THE LATTER PROJECT, NEARLY 63,000 OBSERVATIONS OF POLLINATORS WERE SUBMITTED TO THE PROJECT WITHIN FY2021.