This post was created following a webinar by Deb Kramer, Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, and Merav Vonshak, BioBlitz Club as part of our Naturalist Training series. You can watch the original webinar here, and the entire series here.
What is a BioBlitz?
A BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a limited period of time.
In general, there are three types of BioBlitz event -
Community-driven BioBlitz events - although these events collect scientifically-significant data, their community-building aspects are as important. These events are usually open to the public, attracting individuals and families with kids. They could be guided by expert docents or naturalists, sharing information and their passion with participants. A short training is needed, especially on using the iNaturalist app.
Species-specific/ themed BioBlitz event - has a target species or a group of species, such as sudden oak death, fungi, invasive species, etc. This event type may require additional training - how to identify the target species. It can collect valuable scientific data, that will help management or conservation decisions.
Data-driven BioBlitz events: these events are great when the focus is on the data - for example, a need to survey a sensitive area to gather biodiversity data. These are often an invite-only events, for experts only. Each team of experts can be assigned a polygon, in order to maximize spread of surveyors and their expertise. Organizers can share data, maps, and other information in advance to help the experts prepare for the event.
How to Host a BioBlitz Event
For our webinar, we have created some checklists that might be helpful for others:
Checklist
Obtain funding if needed
Apply for permits if needed
Invite participants, including docents for a community event
Conduct outreach
Create an iNaturalist project
Prepare fliers with species of interest
Host event
Post-event activities
Permits
Parks may require permits for public events
Apply weeks in advance
Fees may apply, but the park might waive those fees
Outreach
Social media: Facebook event or groups, MeetUp, Nextdoor
Friends & family
Partner with the park
Elected officials - City Council representative of the area
iNaturalist journal post
Schools (K-University) - you can offer volunteer hours for high school students
Libraries, community groups
Host Event
Arrive early to setup
Greet people
Sign waiver for photo release; liability for parks or organization
Introduction, safety, how to use iNaturalist
Make observations
Regroup and swap stories
Giveaways: snacks, stickers, buttons
Post-event Activities
Identify observations in your project
Cleanup of project observations - junk observations such as pets and siblings, fix mistakes such as multiple-species observations
Journal post on project - write a summary with some of the highlights
Send summary email to participants
Post results on social media
Ways to Connect with Other Groups
California Academy of Sciences - find or add your event
City Nature Challenge (CNC) website to see what’s happening around the world
Sierra Club, Audubon Society, California Native Plant Society
Local libraries
US list - Scistarter.org
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