EARTHWATCH INSTITUTE INC

EARTHWATCH'S PROGRAMS INVOLVE A GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF RESEARCHERS, CONSERVATION VOLUNTEERS, EDUCATORS, STUDENTS, NGO'S AND BUSINESSES WORKING TOGETHER TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT. THROUGH OUR FIELD 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. WHILE WE WERE AGAIN ABLE TO OPEN ALL OF OUR SUPPORTED FIELD RESEARCH PROJECTS TO VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT FOR OUR 2024 FISCAL YEAR (OCTOBER 1, 2023- SEPTEMBER 30, 2024), OUR RECRUITMENT NUMBERS FELL SHORT OF OUR PARTICIPANT NUMBER GOALS. WE WERE ABLE TO SUPPORT 170 FIELD RESEARCH TEAMS ACROSS 25 PROJECTS WITHIN 16 COUNTRIES (DOWN FROM THE APPROXIMATELY 38 FIELD-RESEARCH PROJECTS ACROSS 24 COUNTRIES THAT WERE A PART OF OUR PRE-PANDEMIC PROGRAMS). 878 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED ON EARTHWATCH PUBLIC FIELD PROJECTS. THESE INDIVIDUALS CONTRIBUTED APPROXIMATELY 48,000 HOURS TO RESEARCH DATA COLLECTION. SUPPORTED SCIENTISTS PUBLISHED AN ESTIMATED 18 PEER-REVIEWED PAPERS AND/OR BOOK CHAPTERS DURING THIS FISCAL YEAR, WITH OVER 49 ADDITIONAL PUBLICATIONS FROM PREVIOUSLY-SUPPORTED RESEARCH PROJECTS. IN ADDITION, THE EARTHWATCH MODEL WAS FEATURED IN AT LEAST 42 OTHER PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS IN 2024. AT LEAST THREE GRADUATE STUDENTS THAT WERE SUPPORTED IN-PART BY THE EARTHWATCH MODEL COMPLETED THEIR DEGREES WITHIN 2024 (1 PHD, 2 MSC).EARTHWATCH IS DEDICATED TO CREATING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY THROUGH OUR 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 CONTINUED CHANNELING 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. IN 2024, WE CONDUCTED OUR THIRD YEAR OF OFFERING A CLIMATE CHANGE MASTER CLASS WEBINAR SERIES FOR CORPORATE PARTNERS TO OVER 360 PARTICIPANTS LIVE (AND MANY MORE VIEWING THE RECORDED SESSIONS). OPERATION HEALTHY AIR (OHA) HAD 185 PARTICIPANTS FOR A WORKING WEBINAR ON MICROPLASTICS FROM CLOTHING , AND OUR INATURALIST-BASED GLOBAL POLLINATOR WATCH PROJECT GREW TO INCLUDE A TOTAL OF SIX CORPORATE AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT CONTRIBUTED OVER 4,200 POLLINATOR OBSERVATIONS, WHILE THE PUBLIC VERSION OF THIS PROGRAM HAS NOW REACHED NEARLY 800,000 POLLINATOR OBSERVATIONS, REPRESENTING NEARLY 29,000 SPECIES BY THE END OF 2024.