This thesis examines how citizen science can serve as a catalyst for the stewardship of urban wetlands. In an era of funding cuts, growing data gaps, and political rhetoric dragging swamps through the mud, wetlands are in dire need of advocates. ****Citizen science can change how we spend time with wetlands in New York parks, creating stewards who both care about them and contribute to their conservation.
In New York City, where rising sea levels, extreme rainfall, and flash floods are increasingly common, urban wetlands offer a solution: absorbing water, filtering pollutants, and providing opportunities for human-nature connection and flourishing.
However, wetlands carry heavy cultural baggage, leading to diminished conservation nationally**.** Biophobia exists in a positive feedback loop where fear of nature leads to the extinction of experience and increases nature ignorance, exacerbating the problem.
Creating opportunities where urbanites can have positive experiences with nature directly breaks this cycle, and when recreation in nature is combined with nature monitoring activities, stewardship relationships emerge that benefit both human and non-human parties. **
Midterm Research Presentation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSsU27CGoMI&list=PLpSSE2WUszMstbENdmJ8Gcq4CQeWexl5H
Monty Preston is an MFA Products of Design candidate at the School of Visual Arts, exploring how experience design can bridge the gap between urban communities and natural systems. Her thesis investigates citizen science as a pathway to wetland stewardship in New York City.
She brings 10+ years of experience across curation, production, and sales operations at startups democratizing luxury goods and technology. In 2022, she founded a creative consultancy, collaborating with artists to design multimedia product experiences that translate complex systems into approachable cultural products.
Her work has shown up in NYT and Elle Decor, and she has written about art and emerging technologies. She holds a BASc summa cum laude in Linguistics from the University of Toronto.