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  • Home
    • About Us >
      • Mission and Values >
        • EIJ Resources
      • Annual Reports and Financials
      • Contact
    • Our Team >
      • Staff
      • Board and Advisors
      • Science Advisory Board
      • Join our Team
      • Our Partners
    • Press >
      • COVID-19 Updates
      • Films
      • Writing
      • Audio
  • For Scientists
    • Our Services >
      • Project Design & Feasibility
      • Project Build
      • Volunteer Recruiting & Screening
      • Full Project Management
    • Scientific Partners
    • Project Reports and Scientific Publications
    • Access Data Sets
  • For Adventurers
    • Volunteer Basics
    • Current Projects >
      • Mexican Coral Reefs
      • Wildlife Connectivity
      • Timber Tracking
      • Wild and Scenic Rivers
  • Our Impact
    • Past Projects
  • Blog
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Welcome to Field Notes

Behind the Scenes: Filming the Pollinator Protocols

7/25/2017

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By: Victoria Ortiz

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Jessie Kay and Rusty Rustigian walk by as videographer Aidan Weltner films for the new Pollinator Protocols video. Bangtail Mtns, Montana.

​​Nearly 65% of the population are visual learners that absorb and recall information best by seeing,* which is why our volunteer training includes both written and video protocols. We develop training materials in coordination with our partners for every project in order to prepare our volunteers for field work.

Our main goal in building training materials is to ensure that our partners get the data they need - meaning completeness, accuracy and consistency. To conduct work in the field, volunteers must pass protocol tests with a 100% score. They also need to retake the tests periodically to ensure continued protocol retention. All volunteers also regularly interact with Adventure Scientists' staff to make sure they are prepared to participate.

For our newest project, Conserving Biodiversity - Pollinators, we worked with Bozeman-based videographer Aidan Weltner to film short, funny (if we do say so ourselves) and informative protocol videos. We went behind the scenes with Aidan to learn more about the creation of this video.
What was the most challenging aspect of this film? The most exciting/fun?
The most challenging aspect of the film was finding flowers and butterflies. Extended rain storms and fickle wind conditions are the nature of late spring and early summer. I learned that butterflies and flowers do not like wind and thus it took us a little longer to film than expected. On top of that, butterflies are hard to catch and even harder to film!
Which part of the protocol was most confusing to you? How did you find a way to demonstrate the proper method via the video?
Illustrating the tagging of flowers that grow in bushes/groups was the most difficult. We decided that it was best to tell viewers how to do this in the voice overs. I didn't think any aspect of the protocol was confusing. It all seemed pretty intuitive!
A short clip from our Conserving Biodiversity - Pollinators protocol video.
Did anything about this filming process surprise you? How has it affected your perception of Adventure Scientists?
I always thought that Adventure Scientists’ projects required a lot of prior experience to participate. Now, I think that people who enjoy recreating outside could and should apply to contribute in these studies.

Edward Abbey used to measure driving time in six packs. How many six packs did it take to produce this film?
At least four. Maybe 4.33
Anything else you’d like to mention/includes?
Bring ankle braces. Those damn ground squirrel dens seem to be easier to find when you're focused on the butterfly flying erratically 10 feet in front of you.
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Jessie Kay, Rusty Rustigian, and videographer Aidan Weltner take a pizza break while filming scenes for the Pollinator protocols video. Bangtail Mtns, Montana.
*Source: https://www.studyingstyle.com/visual-learners/
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Adding An Extra Layer to the Gallatin Microplastics Data

7/11/2017

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By: Emma Bode

Each year, 8,000,000 tons of plastic enter marine environments*. An astonishing 80% of this plastic comes from terrestrial sources. Among this plastic are tiny plastic fragments and fibers, five millimeters or smaller, known as microplastics. How are these minuscule pollutants entering our waterways?
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Microfibers shed from synthetic clothing and are the most common type of microplastic pollution found in the Gallatin Watershed in Montana, where Adventure Scientists volunteers are conducting a freshwater study.
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Fragments of large plastics are also a common type of microplastic.
At the headwaters of the Missouri River, the Gallatin Watershed provides a great opportunity to observe the effects of urbanization on freshwater microplastic levels. Through the Adventure Scientists’ Gallatin Microplastics Initiative, volunteers like myself collect water samples from a multitude of sites across the watershed. These samples are then analyzed for their microplastic content.
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Emma Bode and Jessie Bohn collect microplastic water samples on the Gallatin River. PC: Kirra Paulus

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Adventure Scientists®
​PO Box 1834, Bozeman, MT 59771
406.624.3320 info@adventurescientists.org