What is a BioBlitz? It is an inventory of species living in each area at a given time: a snapshot of life on a particular day. It usually includes multiple taxa, or groups of species, such as plants, birds, mammals, insects, fish and “herps” (amphibians and reptiles). It may take place on a single property or cover natural areas throughout a watershed. It might span half a day or a 48-hour period.
The Land Alliance, working with a stalwart crew of experts in a variety of taxa, will be hosting a Beaver Brook BioBlitz on Saturday, June 3 (with a rain date of June 4). The surveys will take place from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. at five Upper Brookville and Mill Neck properties throughout the Beaver Brook watershed: Hope Goddard Iselin Preserve, Planting Fields Arboretum, Upper Francis Pond, the Smithers Connector parcel and Shu Swamp Preserve.
Naturalists will be leading the investigations and will need assistance from the community with citizen scientist volunteers with recording data. This will be a great opportunity for dedicated individuals to learn to identify a diversity of species, try their hands with data collection tools and explore the beauty of the Beaver Brook watershed’s undeveloped lands and waters that make this corridor highly significant for wildlife. The connectivity of these natural areas and their value to preserving our underground water supply are additional reasons why the North Shore Land Alliance and its partners are so actively protecting land there.
From noon to 2 p.m., all will all gather at Planting Fields Arboretum in the Hay Barn to join the naturalists in a walk to explore the Arboretum’s biodiversity and pick up some species identification skills while learning about the vital Beaver Brook corridor. Advance registration for citizen scientist volunteers assisting with surveys is requested; the early afternoon gathering at Planting Fields will be open-house style. There will be an $8 New York state parking fee.
Contact Jane Jackson at 516-922-1028 or jjackson@northshorelandalliance.org to register or for more information.
—North Shore Land Alliance
