Part scientific endeavor, part festival, and part education, the BioBlitz at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park will bring together leading scientists, naturalists, and community members of all ages to find and document as many species as possible in one day at the park as part of the Vermont Atlas of Life. Step outside with us and become part of a growing network of “citizen scientists”. Curiosity required, no experience necessary!
A BioBlitz is an intensive one-day study of biodiversity in a specific location, bringing scientists and volunteer citizen-scientists together. We’ll look for birds, mammals, reptiles, butterflies, insects, spiders, trees, flowers, mushrooms, and more!
People of all ages and skill levels are welcome! Bring your smart phone for sure. Bonus: camera, binoculars, magnifying glasses, butterfly nets, gardening gloves, and other goodies if you’ve got ‘em. We’ll enter observations in iNaturalist and maintain eBird and e-Butterfly lists for the day. Don’t have an iNat account yet? No problem! Sign up for an iNaturalist account, then download the app: iPhone, Android. Then join our iNaturalist BioBlitz page and add your observations too!
Festivities begin at 7am and last until after dusk under the moth lights. Come at anytime. We’ll be headquartered at the Forest Center building near route 12. Need more info? Call 802-457-3368 x22 for more information. Registration appreciated, but not necessary!
Schedule of Events
Whether you join one of the survey events below or strike out on your own, there are hundreds of species of plants and animals for us to discover in the park. No experience necessary! Come to the BioBlitz headquarters at the Forest Center and learn how to use iNaturalist, eBird or eButterfly and check out the live species tally and map on the wall as observers like you discover the park’s biodiversity! Or watch the biodiversity tally live on our iNaturalist BioBlitz page and add your observations too!
7-9am Birds (meet at the Forest Center) Leaders: Kent McFarland, Vermont Center for Ecostudies and Kyle Jones, Ecologist, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP.
9 –11am Trees (meet at Forest Center and end at Pogue) Scott Davison, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP ranger.
10-11am General Botany (meet at Forest Center) with Charlie Hohn, Ecologist and iNaturalist Guru.
10-12pm – Butterflies (meet at Pogue) with Kent McFarland, Director of Vermont Butterfly Survey and e-Butterfly.org
10-11am – Insect Traps (meet at the Forest Center) with State Entomologist Alan Graham.
10 – 11:30am Jr. Ranger Program (meet at Forest Center) with Park Intern Carmen Bango
11pm Dragonflies (meet at the Pogue) with Mike Blust, Prof. Emeritus Green Mountain College.
11-1pm Bring Your Own Lunch and join us either at the Forest Center, or with the Dragonfly group at the Pogue
12pm Aquatic Invertebrates (meet at Forest Center) with Alan Graham.
1-2pm – Bumble Bees (meet at Forest Center) with Sara Zahendra, VT Center for Ecostudies biologist.
1 – 2:30pm Jr. Ranger Program (meet at Forest Center) with Park Intern Carmen Bango
2 –3pm Ferns (meet at Forest Center and end at Pogue) with Kyle Jones
3 – 5pm Butterflies (meet at the Forest Center) with Kent McFarland
4-5pm – Wildflowers (meet at Forest Center ) with Julia Lynam, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP ranger.
8 –10pm Moths Under the Lights (at the Forest Center) with Kent McFarland and Kyle Jones
