Conservation Florida’s 2019 Bioblitz: A perfect day for citizen science

Dec 2

Love for Florida’s environment and curiosity about our natural world brought dozens of people — children, families, scientists, teachers, and college students — to Rock Springs Run State Reserve on Oct. 12 to take part in Conservation Florida’s annual bioblitz.

Participants ranged in age from 18-months to 85-years old. They traveled from places as far away as High Springs and Palm Beach Gardens to explore the Reserve, which is a 14,000-acre wild area approximately 30 miles north of Orlando.

The Reserve provides a critical connection between the Wekiwa Springs State Park and the Seminole State Forest. Together, these protected lands form the southernmost boundary of the Wekiva to Ocala Corridor.

Leading the Way

Participants of Conservation Florida’s 2019 Bioblitz scan the horizon for signs of wildlife.

Birders Robert Emond and Gigi DelPizzo kicked off the morning by leading participants on a search for birds. No one spotted the beloved and endangered Florida Scrub-Jay, but volunteer conservationists documented red tail hawks, vultures, cardinals, yellow warblers, and three kinds of woodpeckers!

Scanning the skies and searching the forest floor, participants ventured into the woods with herpetologist Dr. Marc Behrendt, to look for frogs, snakes, turtles, and other reptiles and amphibians.

Next, plant expert Allegra Buyer led participants through the pine flatwoods to look for and document numerous plant species including wire grass, hairy indigo, goldenrod, shiny blueberry, longleaf pine, and loblolly bay.

Our last tour was led by biologist Jess Rodriguez. She shared her experience in imperiled species conservation and management during the final hike of the day.

Making Science Fun and Accessible

As early as 2007, people have volunteered their time to take part in bioblitzes across the world. National Geographic defines a bioblitz as “an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time.”

Bioblitzes, whether in small communities or in large preserves, have become a popular and easy way to engage in citizen science — a way for anybody to interact with nature, get outside, and observe the precious biodiversity we strive to protect with each of our land protection projects.

Learn how to host a bioblitz in your community or school, by visiting nationalgeographic.org/projects/bioblitz. Email info@conserveflorida.org to participate in our 2020 bioblitz.

To learn more about the species documented during our Rock Springs Run State Reserve bioblitz event, please check out our project on iNaturalist!