Let’s Do a BioBlitz!

By Claudia Novak Member of the Geographic Alliance What is a BioBlitz?

A BioBlitz is a 24 hour event where teams of students, educators, and volunteers/community members work together to try to find and identify as many as possible in a specific geographical location. Why do a BioBlitz? • To motivate students and the community to get outside and explore the world around them. • To inspire young people to become life long learners, become active members of their community and to become citizen scientists. • To learn more about how important data collection can be for the environment. Where can I do a BioBlitz?

• You can do a BioBlitz any place. • Here are some examples of great places to try out: National parks, national forests, state parks, local parks, and school yards. • Families can participate by doing a BioBlitz even in their own back yards!

When can I do a BioBlitz?

• You can do a Bioblitz at any time of the year. • To be an active part of the special National Geographic BioBlitz, plan a time in the spring around May 2016. • May 20 -21, 2016 are the perfect days.

How do I do a BioBlitz? • Some organization is needed such as picking a date (rain date also), location and scope of the BioBlitz. • The scope of the BioBlitz is important. Do you want to focus on target species or take the “grand total” approach? • Decide on what your audience is going to be. Is it going to be only educators and students or do you want to include families and/or volunteers? • Volunteers can be very helpful to help out with student teams, organizing the data before input, and manning student mini-activities tables. What equipment do I need for a BioBlitz? Some suggestions are: • Water testing kits • Binoculars • Guide books • Clipboards and pencils • Cameras • GPS • Observation • Hula hoops tool/worksheet • Meter squares • Internet connection • Hand lenses • iNaturalist app • Nets • Small containers or zip • Eye droppers lock bags

Welcome to iNaturalist

• iNaturalist is the data entry tool that National Geographic will be using. • It can be accessed via the web at http://www.inaturalist.org/ • The app is available for either Apple or Android devices. • These screen captures are from an Android device. iNaturalist

iNaturalist

Preplanning • Plan to have a meeting with your Other Suggested Topics to be educators and administration discussed: about six months in advance. • At this meeting, the scope of the What grade levels are you going to BioBlitz should be discussed. do – or is it school wide? • Decide on date with rain date, and location of the BioBlitz. What activities/pre-teaching do you • What is the availability of think will help students to be technology that can be used since prepared to do a BioBlitz? data collection is submitted via the web? How are you going to organize • How are you going to acquire student teams? resources to do this and what resources to you already have? How do you plan to get volunteers to help?

Sample Student Activities • Neighborhood Bioblitz • State - • BioBlitz Education – NG Backyard BioBlitz • Schoolyard BioBlitz 0 • Nova - Teacher - Lord of NEEF the Ants • Backyard BioBlitz • • Biodiversity University Basics • • OPAL BioBlitz activity Carleton Activities ideas

Day of Event Remain calm and have FUN! All your planning will work out just fine. Hopefully, some of your volunteers will appear. All your students will learn a great deal from this hands on experience. Perhaps, you will inspire more than a few students to become scientists.

Post Event

• Finish data entry if not completed on the day. • Send out thank you notes to volunteers. • Do a follow up publicity notice about the success of the event. • Do a short video (could be cell phone) with students talking about what they learned. You don’t have to have student faces showing but just include their voices. This would be perfect to introduce the event to students when your school does another BioBlitz in the future. Some Useful Links • iNaturalist • Habitats of New Hampshire http://extension.unh.edu/Wildlife/Ha app available on Apple iTunes and bitats-New-Hampshire Google Play Store. • Wildlife of New Hampshire http://extension.unh.edu/Wildlife/Wi • Alliance BioBlitz Guide ldlife-Species-New-Hampshire • NCGE Session on BioBlitz August • New Hampshire Wildlife Fact Sheets 2015 by Anne Haywood http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/wildli fe/profiles.html • New Hampshire Geographical • New Hampshire Trees http://amc- Alliance http://www.nhga.net/ nh.org/resources/guides/trees/ • New Hampshire http://www.whatbird.com/birdexpert /StateColorSize/2/6426/birdexpert.as px • New England identification https://gobotany.newenglandwild.or g/simple/