With the new foliage, spring also begins the start of the BioBlitz season! The weeks following Earth Day, students travel to conserved lands for a day of scientific hands-on learning. Through science-based activities, children learn about the plants, animals, and fungi found in different ecosystems. In addition to the school field trips, BYLT also hosts a Community BioBlitz Day for all ages to participate in.Â
bio- A combining form meaning “life” | blitz- A sudden, energetic effort for specific task.
“A BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time.” -National Geographic
The National Park Service started a nationwide BioBlitz in 2016 at over 100 National Parks throughout the country. These events encouraged people to become Citizen Scientists through wildlife and botanical observations and collecting and recording biological data. Following the example of the National Parks Service, BYLT hosts BioBlitz field days to encourage Citizen Science in the Sierra Nevada Foothills.
The Bear and Yuba watersheds are among the most biologically diverse places on the planet. This incredible biodiversity provides an excellent opportunity to engage students, families, and community groups each spring during the BioBlitz field days. BYLT hosts school field trips and a Community BioBlitz Day on beautiful, protected Preserves. During these events, participants photograph or take notes of all the plants, animals, fungi and other organisms they see. All this data is compiled, uploaded to the iNaturalist database, and becomes a permanent record to help land managers track the health of plant and wildlife habitat over time.
When youth and the community are engaging in scientific discovery, they are actively learning about the benefits of open space for wildlife, and they become more aware about the role conservation of land plays in protecting biodiversity. Not only do participants aid in collecting scientific data for BYLT, they have fun exploring nature.
Visit the BYLT iNaturalist Database
Explore BYLT Preserves
Contact Community Engagement Coordinator Felicia Dunn at felicia@bylt.org (530) 272-5994 x 207 for more information about the BioBlitz field days.