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Invoking citizen science in marine conservation: an assessment of volunteers in the North Carolina Sea Turtle Project

2010 2 ABSTRACT Citizen science and the concept of surrogate species have become integral components to wildlife conservation, and resource agencies and scientists alike have benefited greatly from the work of volunteers in conservation programs. Although academia has extensively examined the ecological merit of surrogate species in conservation, little attention has been devoted to examining their effects on volunteer engagement with the environment. Volunteers in the North Carolina Sea Turtle Project (NCSTP) enthusiastically seek out opportunities to work with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), the agency responsible for the NCSTP, to monitor the state's beaches for sea turtle nesting activity. Based on a survey of the state's 700 volunteers, this research interrogates the efficacy of sea turtles—a flagship species— to cultivate ocean and coastal stewardship, and the extent to which they motivate volunteers to participate in marine conservation. The findings of this study exposed significant differences in motivations between environmental volunteers and volunteers in the health and human services.