If you鈥檝e ever wanted to play naturalist for a day, well here鈥檚 your chance. This weekend kicks off the , a country-wide effort that enlists citizen scientists to help gather wildlife data in parks across the states. Over the next few months, the NPS, along with National Geographic, is hosting BioBlitz events in 115 parks, preserves, monuments, forests, and other federally-managed lands. Here鈥檚 what you need to know if you want to get involved with this sweeping effort.
What鈥檚 the point of a BioBlitz?
The purpose of these mini nature parties is to identify and record as many species as possible in a single locale. It鈥檚 similar to 探花精选鈥檚 Christmas Bird Count, but targeted towards all forms of wildlife, including plants and fungi. In the case of NPS land, that鈥檚 a giant endeavor: The U.S. national parks are home to more than of vertebrates alone.
鈥淲e expect all of the BioBlitzes to be adding new species to the parks that weren鈥檛 previously documented there,鈥 says Carrie Seltzer, BioBlitz program manager at National Geographic. That means people will have to ID a lot of beetles: Seltzer says mammals, birds, and other large vertebrates are well accounted for in many of the parks. 鈥淚nvertebrates is where we have the most to learn,鈥 she says.
The collected data will be added to the parks鈥 databases, and will help NPS officials make more informed management decisions. It could also point out any invasive species that may be creeping onto public lands.
鈥淚t really is a meaningful contribution to the Park Service to get all these citizen scientists out there with professional biologists and experienced naturalists, learning how to identify what鈥檚 in their parks,鈥 Seltzer says.
What鈥檚 a typical BioBlitz like?
Most of the events go for 24 hours, with experts on hand to show participants how to find and identify organisms. Once the volunteers have a good handle of the process, they鈥檒l start moving throughout the scape and identifying birds, insects, mammals, and other organisms. All the species sightings will be uploaded and catalogued on , an app that allows people to record plant and animal occurrences.
The iNaturalist component means the data will also be available for the public. 鈥淎nyone, anywhere鈥攅ven if you can鈥檛 be at the BioBlitz in person鈥攃an look at the data on iNaturalist and can also even help add identifications,鈥 Seltzer says. People who are pros at identifying birds, for example, can log on to the app and help figure out what species are present in the photos BioBlitz participants share. It鈥檚 a way to unite adventurers with couch potatoes, all under the great canopy of science.
Who can participate?
Seltzer says that anyone ages eight and up can come out and take part in the blitzes. There will be some events geared towards younger kids during the kickoff events in Washington D.C. on May 20 and 21, that involves flapping like a Turkey Vulture and hopping around like a ground squirrel.
If you're excited by the prospects of contributing to science and discovering something new, (it's free). The map below will guide you to your nearest one.