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Parks for Pollinators Bioblitz, September 9th

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Image Courtesy of the Clifton Institute

Saturday, September 9, 2023
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Cost: Free!

Riverside Preserve
8150 Leeds Manor Rd
Marshall, VA 20115

Registration is required!

Come along while the Clifton Institute partners with the Fauquier County Department of Parks and Recreation to participate in the Parks for Pollinators Bioblitz! 

Participants will explore Riverside Preserve with the goal of documenting as many different kinds of butterflies and bees as possible! This event is part of the Fauquier County Bee City USA initiative to learn about and conserve pollinators in the county. All levels of naturalists are welcome!

Please note that this program meets at Riverside Preserve, NOT at the Clifton Institute. The address is 8150 Leeds Manor Rd, Marshall, VA 20115. Participants will meet by the environmental education shed / port-a-potty. You can park on the lawn near the building, or you can drive all the way to the lot at the bottom of the hill and walk back up.

Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult.

Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). Please check your email for updates on the morning of the event.

COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in the last two weeks any symptoms associated with COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.).

Registration is REQUIRED.

Cancellation policy: If you register and can no longer attend this event, please let organizers know as soon as possible so that they can open your spot to someone else.

By registering for this event, you are affirming that you have read and agree to the Clifton Institute liability release policy.

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Northern Virginia Conservation Trust Nearby Nature Bioblitz, October 14th – November 14th

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Click here to learn more and get started!

Northern Virginia Conservation Trust Nearby Nature Bioblitz, October 14th-November 14th

Northern Virginia Conservation Trust invites you to participate in their first ever BioBlitz! Become a Citizen Scientist by exploring nature and helping gather valuable data in your very own neighborhood.

How? They’ll be using iNaturalist to conduct NVCT’s first ever BioBlitz. With a fun, easy to use app and website, iNaturalist enables people to capture and share information that helps us all learn about nature.

Why? A BioBlitz helps people connect with the nature around them and every observation, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed, can contribute to our understanding of the world around us. All you have to do is observe and have fun.

What? A BioBlitz is an organized communal effort to record as many species as possible within a designated location and time period.

Where? Literally anywhere outdoors in Northern Virginia.

When? October 14 — November 14, 2020

Virginia Bioblitz 2020, September 26th

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When: Saturday, 26 September 2020. Virtual Kickoff event at 9:00am (check website for Zoom link)
Where: Anywhere in Virginia
What: Use iNaturalist to find as many species as you can for at least 30 minutes
You can find more information and register at the Virginia BioBlitz website.
Please spread the word to your family, friends, students and neighbors (see publicity flyer). Help record many species in our beautiful state.

The Virginia Academy of Science (VAS) is organizing a Statewide BioBlitz, Virginia BioBlitz 2020, to promote exploration, discovery, citizen science, and conservation. Join them to survey the biodiversity in every part of the Commonwealth. This is a virtual event facilitated through iNaturalist, so, you can join from home or anywhere else in Virginia! This event is open to anyone willing to spend some time outdoors, explore biodiversity and learn more about species living around you. All it requires is registering online, downloading the iNaturalist App into your smart phone, joining the Virginia Bioblitz iNaturalist project, and reporting species around you! You can also participate without a smart phone just using the iNaturalist website, so long as you have a way to take and upload digital photos.

If you have any questions, please contact the organizers at the Virginia Academy of Science. This event is not organized by the Virginia Master Naturalist program.

Fairfax Master Naturalists, obtain service hour credit in the catalog under: C001: Virginia Bioblitz Days.

Observe Locally – Help Globally :  Participate in the next international Socially Distant BioBlitzes, June 14th, July 5th

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Article and photos by Bill Hafker

It’s tough on those of us who thrive on getting with a group of friends to hike, bike, kayak or otherwise just get outside and observe nature, to feel locked out of doing that. However, it is still possible to find ways to stay safe and enjoy the outdoors.  Whether you just go into your backyard, or find a trail or park that’s open, you can still take part in doing the citizen science/monitoring work you love.  If you enjoyed participating in the City Nature Challenge during April, or if you missed it and wished that you could have been part of advancing a group goal in support of the environment while doing socially distanced nature observations, it’s not too late to do so! 

American Carrion Beetle

The first-ever International Socially Distant BioBlitz was held on April 5th.  It connected 346 participants who together made over 12,500 observations documenting more than 3,000 species.  It was such a success that the organizers at Antioch University New England did it again on May 3rd.  I participated on that day by spending hours documenting everything I could find on a trail near my home.  I had a great time being one of 417 participants from 52 countries, contributing 241 observations and 134 species to their new record numbers of over 22,000 observations and 6,137 species.  I’m planning to try to participate in the upcoming BioBlitzes by walking the same trail each time to see how the species present change, and hoping to find things that I didn’t see the times before.  What was especially cool this time was that I received a comment from someone in the iNat community who thinks I may have posted an invasive beetle not previously documented in the east.  My pictures weren’t good enough for him to be sure of the species, so I’m hoping to find it again on a subsequent date so that I can send him the specimen that he requested.

Trombidium

Based on their success, the organizers will be holding these Socially Distant BioBlitzes on a tri-weekly basis until stay-at-home orders are lifted across the globe.  Hopefully you can join the next ones, and encourage others to participate as well.  Info can be found at https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/socially-distant-bioblitz-5-24-2020.   Everyone is encouraged to also check out the Socially Distant BioBlitz series, an umbrella project that keeps track of cumulative totals and compares individual bioblitzes at    https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/socially-distant-bioblitz-series.

Per current VMN policy guidelines, participation in these bioblitzs can not be counted as service hours because they are not considered to be sufficiently focused on work with local partners or state sponsored agencies supporting beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within our own community.

Two bioblitzes – citizen science in action, Sep. 13-14 & Sep. 29

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Eastern Virginia Rivers National Wildlife Refuge Complex is doing a couple of BioBlitzes this September:

BioBlitz: Presquile NWR
What? A BioBlitz is an intense period of biological surveying in attempt to identify all living species within a unit of the refuge. During this BioBlitz, biologists and citizen scientists will have the opportunity to assist the refuge with a biological inventory of Presquile National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Surrounded by the James River, Presquile NWR contains freshwater marshes, a network of creeks, fields, and hardwood forests. While attending this event, surveyors are welcome to explore the extent of the refuge and will be given a data sheet to record all identifiable species. You can also opt to record your information in your iNaturalist app.

When?

Surveyors have the option to choose between two survey periods. Space is limited as each survey period can have 14 surveyors. Spots will be filled on a first come first serve basis. Please specify which survey period when you RSVP to [email protected].

Survey Period 1: An overnight survey for those who plan to inventory wildlife at night and/or in the early morning. Overnight surveyors will be able to stay in the bunkhouse. The pontoon boat departs for Presquile at September 13, at 5p and returns for pick up on September 14, 9a. (max. capacity 14 surveyors)

Survey Period 2: Pontoon Boat Departs on September 14 at 10a and returns at 3pm. (max. capacity 14 surveyors)

Where? Henrico, VA. Directions to the pontoon boat launch will be distributed closer to the event.

What to Bring? Any equipment you may need to complete your survey (ie, binoculars, field scopes, water quality measurement devices). Survey Period 1: We will send a separate email closer to the event. Survey Period 2: We will provide water and snacks but be sure to bring your own water bottle and lunch.

RSVP? Email Lauren at [email protected] with your specified Survey Period if you are interested or have any questions. We look forward to seeing you there!

BioBlitz: Fones Cliffs
What? A BioBlitz is an intense period of biological surveying with the objective of identify all living species within a tract of the Refuge. During this BioBlitz, biologists and citizen scientists will have the opportunity to explore our newest Refuge tract while contributing valuable data to the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge. This Refuge tract contains various habitats. It borders the Rappahannock River and consists of fields, mixed forests and ravines. While attending this event, surveyors are welcome to collect data within the extent of the Refuge and will be given a data sheet to record identifiable species. Surveyors can also opt to record information in the iNaturalist app. Please note, surveyors are only to collect data within the Refuge boundary which will be represented on a map upon arrival.

When? Sunday, September 29, 9a-3p

Where? Carters Wharf Road, Warsaw, VA; Google Maps Link: https://goo.gl/maps/CykA8ZSUmH4BJMGMA. Signs will guide you from Carters Wharf Road to the cliffs on the day of the event.

What to Bring? Any equipment you may need to complete your survey (ie, binoculars, field scopes, snake tongs, field guides). We will provide water and snacks, but be sure to bring your own water bottle and lunch.

RSVP? Please email Lauren at Lauren_cruz@fws.

Join bioblitz at Oxbow Farm, near Front Royal, July 14

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Joe Guthrie of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute invites you to a citizen science volunteer opportunity (Service Code C200). On Sunday, July 14th 2019 VWL and their partners at The Clifton Institute (www.cliftoninstitute.org) are co-hosting a BioBlitz at Oxbow Farm in Warren County, near Front Royal (What’s a BioBlitz? See here)

The Oxbow Farm BioBlitz will be limited to 30 participants, including staff from VWL and Clifton. To ensure a spot at this one-time event, register by using the following link (scroll to the bottom of the linked page and look for the REGISTER icon; select “1” and leave the registration fee at 0.00, then click “Submit”): https://bit.ly/2xijEhK

 

The draft schedule is as follows:

6:30-9:30 AM: Bird walk

10:00 AM-12:00 PM: Reptile and amphibian walk

3:00-4:00 PM: Flying insects walk

4:00-5:00 PM: Terrestrial arthropod walk (turning over logs and rocks)

3:00-5:00 PM: Fungi walk

3:00-6:00 PM: Plants & wildflower walk

8:30-10:00 PM: Night creatures (insects at black lights, reptiles and amphibians)

 

We will use the popular iNaturalist platform/app to collect, review and document everything we find during the BioBlitz.

If this interests you, please sign up by registering at the link above. If you have questions, please email [email protected] (cc-ed above) and Joe Guthrie ([email protected]). Some of you may have visited Oxbow in the past and know how special it is. For those of you who’ve not seen Oxbow, here’s an opportunity.

City Nature Challenge–Save the dates, 26-29 April 2019

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Citizen scientists throughout the Washington DC metro area will be participating in the 2019 City Nature Challenge, a competition among 130 cities around the world to find and document the diversity of species. No experience required—just a mobile device and a love for nature. Participants will make observations of wild plants and animals using the free iNaturalist app (for Android or Apple).

Why get involved? By participating, you’ll not only get out and see some great urban nature, you’ll help scientists collect data on the biodiversity of our region (and the planet).

Great video to share

Find out how it works!

See the results from the 2018 City Nature Challenge.

 

 

Help with the Arlington Bioblitz, September 15th

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Glencarlyn Picnic Pavillion #1, 401 S. Harrison St., Arlington VA

Saturday, September 15th

9 am – 4 pm

Celebrate Arlington’s biodiversity by helping us conduct a citizen science inventory of plants and wildlife that will help shape the County’s updating of its Natural Resources Management Plan.
Participating in the Bioblitz is a great way to discover and get to know the wildlife and flora of Arlington. We will team participants with experts to help find, identify and catalog plant and animal life, using a free application called iNaturalist. Novices are welcomed. Please let us know if you would like to be a team leader (what’s your expertise?) or participant.
For more information and to register call Alonso Abugattas at 703-228-7742 or email [email protected].

Check out a tutorial on how to use iNaturalist, which will be the primary recording tool for this project.

Sign up to help with the event.