BioBlitzes: What They Are and Why Mount Grace Loves Them
Most conservation professionals will tell you that one of the most exciting parts of their job is fieldwork. Spending time outdoors observing wildlife, collecting data, and conducting scientific research is what draws many people to careers in conservation.
Until recently, participating in this kind of work often required years of education and experience. Today, however, two major changes have made it possible for more people than ever to contribute to biodiversity conservation.
Citizen Science in Your Pocket
The first is the growing recognition that citizen science plays an important role in collecting the data scientists and land managers need to make informed conservation decisions. The second is the remarkable technology many of us carry in our pockets every day.
Equipped with high-quality cameras and microphones, today’s smartphones allow everyday nature enthusiasts to make meaningful contributions to scientific research. Combined with powerful apps that function as virtual field guides and data collection tools, these devices can help identify everything from insects and plants to bird songs and animal tracks. The Merlin Bird ID app from Cornell Lab of Ornithology, for example, can identify birds by their calls—and has been known to lure more than one Mount Grace staff member away from their desk at the sound of a bird yet to be identified (we’re looking at you, Dave Small).
One of the most popular tools for citizen scientists is iNaturalist, an online platform where users can record nature observations and collaborate to identify species. Through this crowdsourced identification process, observations can become “research grade,” meaning scientists can use the data in studies and conservation planning. Since its launch in 2008, iNaturalist has grown to more than 4 million users worldwide.
While technology continues to evolve, the importance of volunteers remains constant. Volunteers have long been a cornerstone of Mount Grace’s land stewardship work. Over the past year, expanding citizen science efforts has been a major focus for our TerraCorps service members, Emily Volmar and Delana Gonzales. Together, they have organized a variety of community engagement events designed to connect people with nature while collecting valuable ecological data.
One of the most effective—and enjoyable—ways to accomplish both goals is through a BioBlitz.
What’s a BioBlitz?
“Bioblitz” was a term first coined in 1996 by Susan Rudy, who worked with the U.S. National Park Service. The same year, Susan and other park rangers organized the first ever BioBlitz at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington D.C. In the span of a few hours, a group of 90 participants recorded over 1000 observations. The success of this event helped the idea gain traction in the naturalist community. Today, there are local and world-wide BioBlitz events, the most famous being the City Nature Challenge (CNC).
The CNC is one of the biggest citizen science initiatives in the world. Communities come together to engage people of all ages with the natural landscapes around them. The global challenge deploys thousands of citizen scientists – all using iNaturalist. This year, the CNC took place at the end of April, and Mount Grace celebrated the occasion by hosting three BioBlitz events of our own. Over the course of the weekend (April 24-27), there were a total of 3 million observations recorded worldwide. This included over 76 thousand different species, observed by over 100,000 people.
On Friday, April 24, we held a family-oriented vernal pool blitz, planned by Delana. With the help of many small hands, we found egg masses and aquatic invertebrates at Gifford Family Memorial Forest. The next day, Emily led two BioBlitzes at the newly protected Eagleville Barrens Conservation Area.
Saturday morning was a guided bird walk, led by Ernie LeBlanc of the Athol Bird and Nature Club. We heard and saw a total of 34 bird species including warblers, swallows, wood ducks, and ruffed grouse. On Saturday afternoon, we turned our focus to native plants, as we hunted for flora throughout the many different habitats found at Eagleville Barrens. Together, we found pitch pines, a variety of spring ephemerals, and even some pitcher plants. In total, there were a total of 252 observations uploaded to iNaturalist across our three events.
BioBlitzes are not only a great way to get communities involved in nature, but also provide helpful information to land trusts or other land managers about the composition of the lands we manage.
Upcoming BioBlitz Event
If you missed out on our April BioBlitzes, don’t you worry! We’ve got another one coming up this month on Sunday, June 28th from 1:00-3:00 PM. We will be exploring our Paul C. Dunn Woodland Preserve in Ashburnham, Mass.
For more details about the event, click the button below.