24-Hour BioBlitz Will Unearth All Creatures Great and Small

Outdoor Event at Loantaka Reservation Creates Environmental Awareness, Assesses Land & Water Quality

The Great Swamp Watershed Association in partnership with the Morris County Park Commission is holding the region’s first “BioBlitz” — a snapshot survey to identify as many species as possible within a 24-hour time period — at the Loantaka Brook Reservation in Morris Township on Friday, May 18, through Saturday, May 19. The public is invited to participate in many planned outdoor activities during the BioBlitz, which is described as part contest, festival, educational experience and scientific endeavor.

“The variety of species that call an area home gives us a good indication of the quality of the land and the water,” explains Great Swamp Watershed Association Director of Outreach and Education Hazel England. “The greater the number of species contained in a habitat, despite human encroachment, the healthier the environment. Findings will help us assess the biological diversity of the area and ultimately get a handle on its overall environmental health.”

During the BioBlitz, teams of scientists from local institutions, nature clubs and government wildlife agencies will comb the Loantaka Brook Reservation for any living organism that swims, walks, flies, grows or crawls. The challenge is to identify as many species as possible before the clock runs out. Families may conduct their own Mini BioBlitz using guided materials and their own observation skills to identify plants and animals along the trails. Prizes will be awarded for each completed Mini BioBlitz survey. “BioBlitz is a great opportunity to introduce children to the sciences and to excite their natural curiosity. It is also a great way to raise public awareness about the range of biodiversity in an area and its relationship to the health of the community’s environment,” suggests Ms. England.

Public activities kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 18, with a Nighttime Adventure Hike to listen for frogs and owls, and to seek out bats, insects and other nocturnal species. Activities continue on Saturday, May 19, beginning at 7:30 a.m. and include birding walks, insect identification hikes, wildflower walks, presentations on birds of prey, and more. The event concludes at 4:00 p.m. with a closing ceremony, a mountain bike raffle and presentations by participating scientists who will announce their findings and explain their research methods.

Additionally, BioBlitz curriculum materials are available to local schools. Students are invited to conduct their own research and share their findings with the watershed association. Data will be collected and posted on www.greatswamp.org.

“BioBlitz is a tremendous and unique opportunity for all area students to get some hands-on science experience and to discover for themselves the varied species that exist in their own backyards,” notes Morris County Park Commission Superintendent of Environmental Education Jenny Gaus.

The central check-in point for BioBlitz is the Loantaka Brook Reservation South Street Pavilion, just south of Seaton Hackney Stables in Morristown. Many of the events have age suggestions and restrictions, and some have a $3 per person participation fee. Event organizers request pre-registration for all events. Please call the Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center at 973-635-6629 to pre-register and visit www.greatswamp.org for more information.

 

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Founded in 1981, the Great Swamp Watershed Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the water and land of the 36,000-acre watershed region in Morris and Somerset counties. We work to maintain the beauty and health of our open space, and to monitor and protect five streams — Loantaka Brook, Great Brook, Primrose Brook, Black Brook, and the headwaters of the Passaic River — which feed the Passaic River, providing drinking water to more than a million people.
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