Date: Nov 1, 2022
Please run your Climate Watch events in a manner that will ensure you and your volunteers’ health and safety. Audubon will fully support any coordinator who decides to cancel their surveys for this year. If a coordinator would like to proceed with Climate Watch, we urge them to abide by the guidelines below. Note: There will be little to no impact on the scientific value of Climate Watch by missing or altering a season. We urge you to prioritize your safety and the safety of others when making your decision.
Audubon is following the Centers for Disease Control guidance on outdoor activities, which advises that there is very little risk of transmission outdoors. However, due to the continuing COVID-19 outbreak, Climate Watch coordinators and volunteers have two options for surveys during 2023.
Option 1: If local laws allow, run a COVID-19 socially distanced Climate Watch. Refer to the CDC guidance for your area: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html
Option 2: Cancel this season’s Climate Watch for your location if you have concerns for the health and safety of you or your participants.
If you choose to hold your CBC event, below are the guidelines that we urge you to follow:
1. Gatherings are at the coordinator’s discretion, and participants' health and safety should be paramount. We encourage any gatherings be held outdoors, if possible, and urge participants to wear masks indoors and follow local COVID-19 guidelines.
2. Refer to CDC and local transmission information to determine whether participants should mask even while outdoors or in the field.
3. Carpooling should only occur within existing familiar or social “pod” groups.
4. Activities must comply with all current state and municipal COVID-19 regulations.
5. Allow for flexibility as it is not possible to know individual or family situations with respect to their home or family risks.
If you feel it is not safe to move forward with your Climate Watch involvement and choose option 2, please know that Audubon fully supports your decision to cancel. The safety of our community scientists will always be our top priority.
If you have questions email us at: climatewatch@audubon.org.