Fells Usage Monitor Volunteers

Participatory scientists capture at work
Photo by Claire O’Neill – Earthwise Aware

Join the team!

Do you frequently hike the Fells? Are you interested in an easy way to help the Fells while out for your walk?

Fells Usage Monitors collect data on the number of people, dogs, and bikers they encounter while out on their hikes. This data will give both the Friends of the Fells and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) a better understanding of the human impact on the Fells, and it will in turn help inform our developing campaign to encourage a healthy stewardship of our woods.

Help us collect this data in the Fells!

Here’s how you can get started:

  1. Watch the Virtual Training here.
  2. Check out the slides for a step-by-step guide to install and use the app.
  3. Sign up here to become a volunteer.
  4. If you’re interested in an in-person field training session, please reach out to Maddie Morgan at maddie.morgan@fells.org to get one scheduled.

This project is a part of our partnership with Earthwise Aware (EwA). EwA’s mission is to facilitate learning about natural systems, practice ecological ethics and sound science, and inspire environmental leadership. Together, Friends of the Fells and EwA will use this data to test the effectiveness of communications strategies on recreational issues and measure the human impact on the Fells’ flora and fauna, respectively. EwA will also use the data to contribute to its Habitat Fragmentation Study at the Fells.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Maddie Morgan and Claire O’Neill at maddie.morgan@fells.org and claire.oneill@earthwiseaware.org. Once you are registered and collecting data, we will be in touch to continue to support your work and provide you with data updates as information is collected via the app.