The appeal of playfulness in citizen science 🐿 Jamie Allen and Sally Parham, Squirrel Census
Episode at a glance:
GUEST: Jamie Allen and Sally Parham
COMMUNITY: Squirrel Census
HOSTS: Bailey Richardson & Kevin Huynh
Show Notes
On the latest episode of our podcast, we spoke to Jamie Allen and Sally Parham, two members of the team behind The Squirrel Census.
Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.
The Squirrel Census started in Atlanta in 2012 with a simple, inexplicable, wild idea: let’s count squirrels and present our findings to the public.
The Squirrel Census team: Josh O’Connor, Nat Slaughter, Stewart Haddock, Jamie Allen, Sally Parham. Photo by Scott Lowden Photography.
Jamie, the creator of the project, formed a crack team of cartographers, artists, scientists and more to bring the first census to life. Together they trained hundreds of volunteers, which they call Squirrel Sighters, to count squirrels, and spent months preparing the data and stories they gathered to share back with their community.
Since that first census in Atlanta’s Inman Park, the team has hosted three more, including most recently an ambitious foray into Central Park. Hundreds of New Yorkers came out to count squirrels with them, and it was all over the news — spurred on by multiple features in The New York Times, support from leaders at the parks association, and a pun-filled tweet by the NYC Mayor’s Office. (“Ask nut what NYC can do for you, but what you can do for NYC.”)
The maps in their report are 5'x3' (meaning — they’re huge!). One map (right) notes the locations and colors of every squirrel sighted. The Reports are for sale on their website. Photos by Scott Lowden Photography
The report they made contains the most comprehensive map of Central Park created in the last 70 years, and also includes two spots newly named by them. Nat Slaughter, their Chief Cartographer, spent over 1,500 hours on these maps and he was invited to present them at the International Cartography Conference in Tokyo this past July. (It was a big hit!)
What motivated Jamie & co. to start the census? How did they get it off the ground?
Presenting their findings at The Explorers Club in NYC. Photos by Scott Lowden Photography
While you’re listening to the interview, key in on some of our favorite insights:
Magic happens in unexpected spaces when organizers bring the fun.
While they’re certainly rigorous, what this team is doing isn’t dry old science. The Squirrel Census team are considerate, design-savvy, and deeply funny people. They’ve made a scientific activity into something not just accessible, but playful. (Check out their original website and online videos for proof). That’s what makes them different from other citizen science efforts out there—they bake fun into every stage.
“Squirrel Sighter training.”
Hit on an untapped energy.
The Squirrel Census is a lesson in what happens when you tap into a compelling “WHO” — the passionate allies who will roll out to build a community with you. Jamie’s early team attracted likeminded folks: playful humans with a sincere love for an animal many of us ignore. These people were closet squirrel fans until the census came into their lives, and the census hit on an otherwise untapped energy.
Create different roles.
Amateurs try to manage a community, but great leaders create more leaders. Nearly every challenge of building a community can be met by asking yourself, “How do I achieve this by working with my people, not doing it for them?” In other words, approach community-building as progressive acts of collaboration — doing more with others every step of the way.
The Squirrel Census team has embraced this whole-heartedly. Their community members are called on to participate — to build with them — in a myriad of ways. There are experts (squirrel experts, measurement experts, city and parks specialists), Squirrel Sighters who count squirrels, Squirrel Scouts who guide the sighters to hectares and help orient them, designers who package up the findings, and more. More participation will amplify both your impact and the meaning you bring to your members.
Pins, shirts, beanies, patches and more are all available for Squirrel fans to rock via the Squirrel Shop.
Identity matters.
If members see their involvement in your community as an important part of who they are, they may want to project their pride to the world. That pride is a captivating energy.
The Squirrel Census team knows this. They’ve been brilliant stewards of the visuals that their community uses to shape their collective identity. The most poignant example is the memorabilia they’ve made, which we discuss in the episode. (See above.)
👋🏻Say hi to Jamie & Sally and Learn more about The Squirrel Census.
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