won the
Mountain
Bike!
The field guides have been put away, the tally sheets cross-checked for additional species and the digital pictures uploaded, after the first ever Great Swamp Watershed Association BioBlitz, held May 18-19 with Morris County Park Commission at their Loantaka Brook Reservation in Morris Township (map). A team of 25 professional scientists and nearly 100 concerned citizens and environmental educators combed the park for anything that swims, walks, flies, grows, or crawls. See what we found and pictures of the events.
Though our first ever BioBlitz was a small event, we are pleased with its success. The comments from those attending were very positive and all of the public programs had attendees. We generated much local press coverage around the evennt, which helps generate awareness about biodiversity and our organization’s mission to work to protect land and water in your town.
A BioBlitz is an intensive “snapshot
survey” — part contest, part scientific research and part educational
opportunity — bringing together biological experts from local
scientific institutions, nature clubs, and government wildlife
agencies. Every major group of animals and plants has a team
assigned to look for as many species as possible within the time period.
To Raise Public Awareness: A BioBlitz is designed to increase the public’s awareness of the variety of life in their immediate neighborhood and the function these various species provide to improve the quality of their lives. Biodiversity is a term more often associated with tropical habitats, but local habitats may be amazingly diverse, especially if you consider all taxonimic groups! Great Swamp residents may take for granted clean water, fertile soil, and air to breathe. Yet these are all functions of working ecosystems filled with species that perform these tasks.
To Excite Kids About Science: A BioBlitz is an excellent means of exciting children about science. It will generate energy and enthusiasm among scientists and lay people alike. Local schools and their students will have the opportunity to work in the same way that real scientists do to gather information. Interactions with scientists at the BioBlitz Hub will be encouraged. It will be a centralized area equipped with microscopes, computers, and other tools of the trade. This is where identifications will take place, species be recorded and tallied, and discoveries made.
Downy Woodpecker
© Blaine Rothhauser
To Generate Data: A BioBlitz generates a list of species found in the park. This information will be shared with the Morris County Park Commission and can be used in aiding them with their park management. A BioBlitz may identify species new to the area or determine those that might be monitored or controlled and allow comparison of what species are present now and were present historically.
Green Darner on Echinacea
© Blaine Rothhauser
To Celebrate Diversity: The BioBlitz will celebrate the diversity of life in a portion of the Great Swamp Watershed. It is an opportunity for GSWA, MCPC, and the event’s sponsors to to celebrate open space, learning, and hands-on citizen science.