Abstract
Community science, described broadly as the practice of involving and engaging communities with the scientific field, can be a key tool in conserving important species like humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae. Humpback whales are a highly mobile and migratory species; however, they are often seen in the same summer feeding grounds annually. This makes the long-term, widespread monitoring that community science provides especially valuable for this species. Geographic information systems (GIS) can enhance conservation through clarifying patterns in a visual environment. Using community science-generated data, this project produced an interactive map in ArcGIS Pro (version 3.0.0) displaying humpback whale sightings from BC Whales’ Sponsor a Whale program of the 2020-2022 field seasons. In addition, the map includes prominent anthropogenic interactions with whales, including vessel traffic routes and the proposed liquified natural gas (LNG Canada) tanker route, and cultural and ecological sites such as First Nations Statement of Intent boundaries, Band Offices, and marine protected areas. The primary goal was to create representations of spatial data which might produce a sense of connection between users and a subset of humpback whales as individuals, to highlight the First Nations communities that enrich the land and seascape, and to present a more complete picture of human-whale interactions within the north coast of British Columbia. The final ArcGIS Pro map was uploaded to ArcGIS Online and was developed into a web-application using Experience Builder. A community science whale observation report form was generated to intake humpback whale sightings in the area and was populated with questions regarding behaviors, GPS coordinates, identification photographs, and other sighting details. This work provided a foundation for future implementation of additional community science initiatives and could be useful platform for characterizing shifts in habitat use and abundance over time, or identifying areas used as sound refugia.