Bioblitz Science Orientation Meeting

BioBlitz Science Orientation Meeting January 22, 2009

ONLINE SCIENTIST REGISTRATION – FEBRUARY 1 – MARCH 1 Please register as soon as possible so that we may coordinate with participant groups. Thank You!

Tim: Please hyperlink to acronyms. Thank you!

List of Acronyms: BB BioBlitz CITIES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Collections Management Center EMS Emergency Medical Services EOL Encyclopedia of Life ESA Environmental Science Associates FIU Florida International University GPS Global Positioning System INDU Indiana Dunes National Park NGS National Geographic Society NPS/BISC National Park Service/Biscayne National Park NPS/BISC/GLBA National Park Service/Biscayne National Park/Glacier Bay National Park NPS/CESU National Park Service/Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit NPS/EVER National Park Service/Everglades National Park NPS/EVER/SFCMC National Park Service/Everglades National Park/South Florida NPS/NRPC National Park Service/Natural Resource Program Center NPS/SFCN National Park Service/South Florida Conservation Network QA Quality Assurance ROV Remotely Operated Vehicle SAMO Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area UM/RSMAS University of Miami/Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science

Facilitator: Deb Johnson, BioBlitz Coordinator Notes: Ivy Kelley, BioBlitz Coordinator

Tim Watkins NGS [email protected] Anne Haywood NGS [email protected] Mark Lewis NPS/BISC [email protected] Myrna Palfrey NPS/BISC [email protected] Elsa Alvear NPS/BISC [email protected] Maria Beotegui NPS/BISC [email protected] Abby Plucienkowski NPS/BISC [email protected] Deb Johnson NPS/BISC/GLBA [email protected] Ivy Kelley NPS/BISC [email protected] Matt Patterson NPS/SFCN [email protected] Nancy Russell NPS/EVER/SFCMC Curator [email protected] Siobhan Millar NPS/EVER/SFCMC [email protected] Steve Friedman NPS/EVER [email protected] Roy Sonenshein NPS/EVER [email protected] Carol Daniels NPS/CESU [email protected] Simon Kingston NPS/NRPC [email protected]

Tim Watkins, NGS This BB will be different from others because of the marine aspect. Location of 2011 BB has not yet been determined. Goals: 1. Identify/learn about as may species as possible 2. Highlight the unique biodiversity protected by NPS 3. Introduce public and scientists to local NPS land and water 4. Let the public do science in the field with experts 5. Inspire the next generation of organismal biologists and stewards 6. Guide people in reconnecting with nature 7. Build capacity and interest Ours is an urbanizing nation, BB addresses “Nature Deficit Disorder” a term coined by Richard Louv in his 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. Biotech has been emphasized much more than field science. BB scientists will lead teams, key out organisms, QA data, and provide informal education Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) (www.eol.org), whose mission is to create an electronic page for each species of organism on Earth, will be uploading information from Biscayne BioBlitz, and has it listed on their Upcoming Events page (Ivy has submitted a date correction.) Over the next five years, the EOL aims to:  Generate a million species pages, most of which will be authenticated by experts  Digitize a large portion of biodiversity literature  Generate educational materials for students, schools and universities  Use the EOL resource to generate new synthetic knowledge about the world's biodiversity National Geographic FieldScope (www.fieldscope.us), a web-based mapping, analysis, and collaboration tool designed to support geographic investigations and engage students as citizen scientists investigating real-world issues - both in the classroom and in outdoor education settings, will also be present. Social media connections, including Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube, will be an integral part of BioBlitz, as well as the traditional media such as newspapers, television and radio. Exhibitors will concentrate on environmentally related organizations and agencies. Tim cited the example of a “bug wrangler” who showed participants how insects are used in movies. A VideoRay ROV was used at SAMO and may be available for use at BISC.

Deb Johnson, NPS Introduced Biscayne BioBlitz plans for set-up and activities at Base Camp (Convoy Point), Mini-Base Camp (Elliott Key) and used a map of the park and surrounding area to present ideas for shoreline activities at both locations (seining, walking paths, and seagrass snorkeling, among others.) BB coordinators will further investigate the possibilities and develop a more detailed map of appropriate areas for shoreline activities, with input from science and education committees.

Ivy Kelley, NPS Unique aspect of Biscayne BioBlitz is opportunity for snorkeling/other water activities. Plans currently include 30 exhibitor/activity booths at Base Camp, along with a large Scientist Tent, where the public will have an opportunity to witness scientists at work, a Family Activity Tent, a Main Stage, and some shade tents where participants and visitors can take a break between activities or wait for a scheduled ferry ride. Presented Draft Activity Schedule. Deb Johnson, NPS Presented Draft Boat Schedule. Parking is planned for Homestead Bayfront Marina – a tram will transport participants to and from Convoy Point. An auxiliary parking area on BISC property off the canal is also being investigated. BISC Law Enforcement staff is working on plans for traffic control and safety, including an EMS ambulance or tent. Live video feed is also being explored but due to technical challenges we will probably opt for “fresh” (recent upload) content on the BB website. Low-tech recording and data-transfer options may work the best given the challenges of distance and network availability.

Maria Beotegui, NPS, Anne Haywood, NGS BISC has had an active Education program since 1976, and has many curriculum-based, standards- correlated activities for both classroom and field experiences. We will use some tried-and-true activities on the boardwalk at Convoy Point and at Elliott Key, and will work with scientists to coordinate their field trips with school groups. A letter that was sent to teachers inviting them to the BioBlitz Teacher Workshop on February 6 & 7 has been met with great enthusiasm from teachers. Possible FieldScope activities: 1. Topo transects – at INDU, kids sampled from the lake to the forest to understand the change in habitat 2. Canals vs. natural environments – look at the mainland shoreline and the influence of freshwater around the mouth of the canals 3. Map the algae cover on seagrasses 4. Do fish counts in different habitats and compare varieties of families over the ecosystem 5. Transect from mangroves to hardbottom 6. Track fish abundance over time 7. Track what plants have recolonized areas where invasive exotics have been removed

Elsa Alvear, NPS For threatened and endangered species, state-listed species, and CITIES, NPS will follow ESA definition of “take” and there will be no “take” of these species. Every effort should be made to minimize “take” of other species; i.e. use visual or photographic ID from a distance; keep ”collection” to samples if possible; minimize killing - only when absolutely necessary. See powerpoint presentation on website regarding approved methods and methods not allowed for blanket permit. Proposals to use methods not allowed or identified in “approved methods list” during BioBlitz must undergo regular NPS research and collecting procedures.

Nancy Russell, NPS Data/collections will be archived according to NPS rules Researchers on the “blanket BioBlitz permit” will check in/out of the “curation stations” at base camps. The NPS realizes that voucher specimens are an important part of a natural resource inventory. Biscayne National Park has recently conducted several parkwide natural resource inventories for vertebrates and vascular plants. Vouchers of invertebrates and non-vascular plants may assist the park with documenting those species, but contact the park , as well as the South Florida Collections Management Center prior to collection to ensure the organisms you are interested in collecting are not already vouchered.

Simon Kingston The NPS has developed a standardized field data sheet, based on multiple past BioBlitz events in other parks. This datasheet is formatted so that data entry will be consistent from datasheet into the computer. The National Park Service maintains park species list in a relational database called NPSpecies for most of the park across the country. The NPS has developed an Excel spreadsheet that is fed by lookup tables from NPSpecies to ensure taxonomic consistency with current park data. NPS staff will be entering data sheets collected during BioBlitz around the clock to allow for updates of species numbers tallied during the event.

Matt Patterson Biscayne National Park was established first as a National Monument in 1968, and then as a Figure 1-D. National Park in 1980. Ninety-five percent of Biscayne National Park's 173,000 acres are

Big Cypresssubmerged marine environments. National Preserve. Four major ecosystems are protected within the park. They are composed of a narrow fringe of mangrove forest along the mainland shoreline of Biscayne Bay; the clear shallow waters of Biscayne Bay itself; the northernmost islands of the Florida Keys; and the northern extent of the world's third-longest coral reef tract.

The mangrove fringe along the western boundary helps reduce the runoff from the urban sprawl south of Miami into the bay. This area, once prime habitat for wading birds, juvenile fish, and crustaceans, has been modified from natural tidal creeks mixing freshwater with marine during the wet season to areas dominated by canal discharges, which pass freshwater into the bay year-round, by water management dictated pulses. Biscayne Bay supports lush seagrass meadows and hard-bottom communities (at a 2m average depth). There are 42 islands that make up the northernmost Florida Keys protected within the park boundary, most of which are in the same state as when the park was established decades earlier. Elliott Key is the largest island at roughly 7 miles long, and in places nearly a mile wide. Many of these keys are currently impacted by exotic invasive plant and animal species. Although treatment is ongoing, many invasive plant species are reintroduced through birds, or drift in with the tides.

The offshore marine environment of Biscayne National Park is approximately 5 miles wide and 21 miles long. It is an area densely populated with coral patch reefs, with some estimates indicating more than 5,000 of these patch reefs occur in this area. The eastern edge of the park is defined as the 60 ft depth contour, east of which the shelf edge drops hundreds of feet deep.

Biscayne National Park receives approximately a half million visitors each year, many who boat, fish, snorkel and dive within the park. Figure 1-F.

Buck Island Reef NationalScientist Ideas/Possible Contributions: Monument.  We have a shuttle skiff with a glass port and a GPS video camera that works as a remote (underwater housing.) (Diego)  Quadrats, mistnetting, plant surveys, use canoes, kayaks along the mangrove shoreline  Crandon Park has lots of ideas/experience to offer (Karen)  Use BioBlitz as part of a Teacher Workshop  Do a 24-hour fish count (Ben Ruttenburg & Ken Marks)  Matt Patterson has a dissecting scope with a camera and video screen for Scientist Tent  There is no limit on nighttime water-based activities conducted by individual science teams. Current park data is almost exclusively from daylight hours.  Counts the days of BioBlitz are important – we are also looking for new information, especially about invertebrates. Also we really need data about bacteria and fungi in the park.  Black lights and mercury vapor lights attract people as well as insects. Questions and Answers: 1. Can FIU offer shark education boat rides to the public? A. Yes, but FIU must find those members of the public on their own. NGS and NPS may not certify seaworthiness for any boat, so we cannot announce this opportunity at BioBlitz due to liability issues. Data gleaned from such trips may be brought to the Science Tent or Elliott Key and offered for inclusion in the database.

2. Can you legally use the BioBlitz name in recruitment for tours offered by individual organizations? A. The BioBlitz name and concept is not registered, copyrighted, or trademarked.

3. What terrestrial activities can scientists do – lichens, birding, insects, invertebrates, botany, etc.? A. Shore based activities are whatever the scientists would like to do – we want to create an opportunity for them to investigate/count whatever they like. There are roads in the park that might be used for access to the mangrove forest and shoreline north of Convoy Point, but it may be difficult to get public groups to these locations. We ask that if scientists choose to do independent teams for these or other studies that they spend at least part of their time also leading a public group.

4. Will the people the scientists lead into the field be signing liability releases? A. Yes. Pre-registered participants will sign the appropriate releases (NGS, NPS, photo, boat) ahead of time (we are investigating sign-on-line) and those visitors who come to the park on the day of the event will register on-site.

5. Will there also be botanical counts on Elliott Key? A. Yes, we strongly encourage that. We would especially like data about what has grown back after exotic invasives were removed over the past few years. Both a vascular plant species list, as well as locations of exotic plant treatment area will be available in the near future.

6. Does the public stay overnight? A. No, it will be closed to overnight camping with exceptions. Special permission may be given. Registered Scientists may, although we do not expect to have many people onsite after the return of the ferry from Elliott Key at 10:30 PM.

7. Can we get a ride to Elliott Key before daylight in order to set up for bird mist-net or other counts? A. Yes, some of the NPS staff may be available for special trips in the park. Please let us know ASAP if you will need this service.

8. If we have team of four, should all of us register or just the team leader? A. Yes, all should register individually, even if you are working as a team.

9. Who comes to BioBlitz? What are the ratios of scientists to participants? A. 5,000 – 6,000 people came to INDU and SAMO, with about 2,000 of those students and about 125 scientists. We are expecting half of that or less at Biscayne BioBlitz due to the fact that 95% of the park is water and so our opportunities are different than in a large terrestrial environment. Even the terrestrial environment here is challenging because of the mangrove forest. Scientists decide how large of a group they would be comfortable leading for their particular activity. 10. What if all the scientists want to do the same thing? A. That’s OK – it will work out as times/locations will probably be different, or there may be room for more than one group in a given area.

11. What should we bring? A. Bring whatever equipment and supplies you usually use for your chosen activity. We will have enough electrical outlets in the Science Tent at Base Camp and at the Elliott Key station for you to use computers, microscopes, and video screens as you see fit. GPS is an integral part of data gathering for BioBlitz. If you have GPS units, please bring them, if not, we will have a limited number we can check out to you for the event. Garmin 60 CSX works best in the tropical hardwood hammock communities on the Keys. A limited number of waterproof data sheets will be available on Rite-In-The-Rain paper. Please let the park know how many you might need early to ensure we have enough printed. Photo-download stations will be available on Elliott Key and Base Camp. Photos linked with location information (GPS coordinates, place name, island name, etc.) will be helpful for import into the Fieldscope online mapping tool.

12. Will there be overnight camping on Elliott Key? A. Yes, some scientists may choose to camp overnight. Elliott Key will be closed to the public for overnight camping during BioBlitz.

13. Can we use fish throw traps? A. Elsa will answer your permitting questions.

14. Can photos taken on a phone be used? A. Tim will figure out how to use these.

15. What about park visitors who want to report what they have caught via unapproved methods – i.e. hook and line – can they contribute information? A. No.

16. What if I am inside the park boundary and see a whale outside of the boundary? A. If you can see it from inside the park boundary, we will count it in BioBlitz.

17. Will all of this information be available on the Web? A. Yes.

18. Will the Park Certified Species List be available for us to use as reference? A. Yes.

19. If I camp on Elliott Key, how will I get my gear over there? A. We will do our best to assist with logistical support where park boats are available. Please let us know ASAP so we can plan for this.

20. Will there be security for my microscopes and other equipment overnight at Base Camp and Elliott Key? A. Yes, BISC Law Enforcement is working on a plan for this.

21. Will we meet again? A. No, this is the only Scientist Orientation Meeting. Vanessa will take the insect biologists out at a separate time. 22. Is there a list serve of BioBlitz scientists? A. Tim will look into creating a listserve hosted by NGS. We will work on scheduling several subject focused conference calls to help prepare for the event.

23. Will food be available at the BioBlitz? A. NGS will provide three meals per day for Registered Scientists, Volunteers, and Employees.