public-knowledge-assessment-1-journal

5% Completed

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:42:22 +0100

So here we are in mid-February with 5% of our questionnaires completed. Although we have had a good response from our CCARO volunteers we need to find a strategey to speed up the questionnaire process. A volunteer campaign in UWI to attract more help and perhaps some fieldtrips to transport volunteers to the coastal areas might do the trick. We shall see.

Project Continues in 2010

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:44:51 +0100

Due to exams and the Christmas season we were unable to finish the required number of interviews needed to complete our first Public Knowledge Assessment project. The project will continue and we aim to finish at the end of March 2010. Thus far we have completed and databased at total of 48 questionnaire, just 3% of our total number, but we hope that with Christmas and exams out of the way more volunteers will be able to give a few hours in the next month to help complete the remaining 1449 remaining questionnaires.
Thanks to those of you that helped us last year and feel free to join us again :)
If you want to volunteer for this project please contact us as cetacean.conservation.tt@gmail.com.
Alesha

Volunteers Wanted

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:41:08 +0100

Today I sent out emails requesting volunteer help from the members of the UWI Biological Society and to some people who had signed up as volunteers so I expect some help soon. If anyone is interested in volunteering do send us an email at cetacean.conservation.tt@gmail.com and don't forget to fill out our volunteer application form. You can find it on our Home Page.
Alesha

The Trial

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:40:33 +0100

On the 16th November, I went to Valpark which is near my home, to trial our survey questionnaires. The questionnaires were received well and people were interested in hearing about the local whales and dolphins. Almost everyone knew that there were whales and dolphins locally but most believed that there were very few (<5) species rather than at least 14 and many were not aware of the threats they faced locally.
We are also getting an idea of the public's perception of these animals and the things they find important about them. Thus far we can see that public knowledge and awareness is fairly low but interest is high, which means that education activities can make a difference in the future.
There were a few small changes made to the questionnaires as a result of the trial and the information has been databased. Now we just need some willing volunteers to help us get this survey done by 1st December.
Alesha

The Quizes Begin

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:34:06 +0100

The preparation phase for this project has just ended and today I will be going out to start questionnaires. We have been measuring public visits to the website for the past week as planned and they have stayed pretty low. Hopefully the quizes will make people more aware of CCARO's website giving more people access to its educational information and the opportunity to get involved in conservation activites. If anyone wants to volunteer to help with the quizes you can go back to the project page for more information on volunteering. Your help is always appreciated.
I'll keep you updated.
Alesha