March 31, 2011
The Wildlife Health Event Reporter, a citizen science application, will be demonstrated at the upcoming UW-Madison 2011 Science Expeditions event at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery on Saturday, April 2. The Wildlife Health Event Reporter website is designed to help wildlife managers and human health officials detect outbreaks, wherever they may occur, more quickly than before. It was developed by researchers at the Nelson Institute and the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center in Madison. People anywhere with an Internet connection may report sightings of sick or dead wild animals through the site at www.wher.org. The Science Expeditions station is hosted by the USGS National Biological Information Infrastructure Wildlife Disease Information Node, a collaborator on the Wildlife Health Event Reporter, and will encourage the public to track and report wildlife morbidity or mortality events during their everyday activities. These citizen reports will help contribute to a better understanding of wildlife disease patterns and their potential impact on wildlife, human and domestic animal health. Science Expeditions is an annual campuswide science open house that encourages hands-on exploration from learners of all ages. All events are free and open to the public. For a full map, schedule and information on parking, bus routes and the circulating trolley, visit the Science Expeditions website.